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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 354 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES FEBRUARY 4, 2024
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HACKING ON PH SITES FOILED DICT: ATTACKERS TRACED TO CHINA UNICOM, HIT PCG, PBBM’S WEBSITE
By Charles Dantes
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HE country's cybersecurity experts have successfully blocked various hacking attempts coming from within China in a cyberattack that targeted various government email addresses, including that of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the private website of President Marcos, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported yesterday. “We were able to detect that the attackers were coming from China Unicom. So, I think we will need to
coordinate with them so that they can help us in this investigation,” DICT Undersecretary Jeff Ian Dy
said partly in Filipino during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City. China Unicom is a Chinese state-owned telecommunications operator. The cyberattack also tried to breach email systems and internal websites of several government agencies that used Google Workspace in a bid to gather information. Dy said the DICT and Google believe at least three “advanced threat groups” were behind the attack, which he said could also be classified as “cyber espionage” as the motivation was to “gather information.” Dy, however, clarified the DICT
is not accusing China of involvement, only that it found out that the “threat actors were operating from within Chinese territory.” "These did not push through, but they were a type of brute force attack aimed at taking down our Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or OWWA," he added. Dy said the hacking attempt was first reported by Google two weeks ago. The attack on the OWWA website happened earlier and had a different perpetrator whom the DICT traced to be operating in China. He said the government would need to coordinate with Beijing regarding the attempted hijacking.
PREPARING FOR LENT. Rev. Father Jerry Habunal of the Divine Healer Parish Church in Sucat, Parañaqueleads the burning of palm leaves or ‘palaspas’ on Saturday in preparation for this year's Ash Wednesday, slated on Feb. 14. The Catholic rite and tradition marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Norman Cruz
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RAPPORTEUR’S VISIT ‘COUNTERPRODUCTIVE’ NEWS | A2
SECESSION WON’T HELP MINDANAO—ABALOS NEWS | A3
DAVAO LANDSLIDE, FLOOD DEATH TOLL SURGES TO 14
PRESIDENT AS FARMER. President Marcos drives a tractor as he and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel (inset) inspect rice stalks at a field in Candaba, Pampanga on Saturday. PCO Photo
MARCOS URGES DA, FARMERS TO SUSTAIN RECORD RICE YIELD By Othel V. Campos and Charles Dantes AS THE Philippines harvested a record 20 million metric tons of rice last year, President Marcos and Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. urged farmers, local government leaders, and local officials in Pampanga to sustain the push for agricultural modernization and increased food production in the face of the El Niño weather phenomenon. Mr. Marcos on Saturday led the distribution of more than P22 million worth of farm inputs and equipment, rice seeds, fertilizer vouchers, post-harvest facilities, and financial capital to farmers’ cooperatives and for hog repopulation to address the impact on the industry of the African Swine Fever. He said the government has set aside P31
billion this year for DA's national rice program, which is earmarked for post-harvest facilities, extension services, research and development, and irrigation services. In addition, farmers stand to benefit from the P10 billion set aside for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) in 2024 to purchase machinery and equipment, rice seeds, extension service and credit assistance. The rice harvesters distributed to local farmers were funded from RCEF funds. While the challenge this year to increase food production is the prolonged dry spell brought about by El Nino, the President said interventions are underway to mitigate its impact. The President likewise assured the public that under the rejuvenated agriculture sector, the administration will fix the problem of hunger in the country.
BICOL SOLONS ASK SENATE TO STOP ‘PI’ PROBE, PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR SPEAKER By Maricel V. Cruz A GROUP of legislators from the Bicol Region on Saturday called on the Senate to stop its inquiry into the suspended People’s Initiative (PI) and work instead on passing priority pieces of legislation. Camarines Sur Reps. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, Miguel Luis Villafuerte, and Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, and Bicol Saro Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan made the statement in support of the House leadership headed by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. They asked the Senate to instead focus on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 6, filed by
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Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, which aims for reforms in Articles 12, 14, and 16 of the Constitution, addressing restrictions on foreign ownership in public utilities, educational institutions, and the advertising industry. The Bicolano legislators said the Senate hearings on the PI process, “initiated by private groups long yearning for Charter Change, in which the House of Representatives and its leaderships have surprisingly and unfortunately become the subject of the inquiry, contravene inter-parliamentary courtesy and reek of undue interference by members of one chamber in the official acts of legislators belonging to the other.”
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During his address at the ceremonial palay harvesting and assistance distribution in Candaba, Pampanga, Mr. Marcos highlighted the significance of collective effort to achieve a better Philippines, where “everyone moves forward together.” “Our collaborative efforts to develop our agriculture sector are just one of the key steps toward building a 'Bagong Pilipinas'—a nation where hunger is eradicated, and everyone actively works towards a more prosperous future,” he said in Filipino. "We expect that this occasion will signal the steady growth not only of the rice industry, but the entire agriculture sector in the coming months. I'd like to inform you of the triumph that our sector had last year. Because of our combined efforts, we managed to harvest in 2023 a record volume of more than 20 million metric tons of rice,” the President said.
THE death toll from landslides and floods triggered by torrential rain in southern Philippines in the past week rose to 14, official tallies showed Saturday. Rain has pounded parts of Mindanao, the country's second-largest island, on and off for weeks and forced tens of thousands of people into emergency shelters. At least 10 people died in recent days in the mountainous gold mining province of Davao de Oro as it endured relentless downpours. "I haven't experienced that kind of heavy and continuous rain before," provincial information officer Fe Maestre told Agence France-Presse. Of the 10 deaths in Davao de Oro, three were recorded in New Bataan municipality and another four people were killed in landslides in Maragusan and Monkayo municipalities, disaster officials told AFP.
PHILHEALTH: RATE COVERAGE RISE BEGINS FEB. 14 THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Saturday said the increase in the coverage rates of most of its benefit packages will take effect on Feb. 14. Last November, PhilHealth announced it would increase the rates of its benefits packages up to 30 percent to lessen the out-of-pocket expenses for Filipinos availing of health care services using the state health insurer. PhilHealth spokesperson Rey Baleña told radio DZBB the state firm issued Circular No. 2024-001, which contains the case rates or benefit packages subject to increase or adjustment. Under the circular, which takes effect Feb. 14, PhilHealth adopted an inflation adjustment factor of 30% for existing case rates to account for price changes over the past decade.
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