NBI arrests second suspect in COMELEC website hacking incident
admin • April 29, 2016 • 3877
COMELEC website hacker Jonel de Asis, who was arrested Thursday night, is now under the custody of National Bureau of Investigation. (UNTV News)
PASAY CITY, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested the second hacker suspected of intruding into the Commision on Elections’ (COMELEC) website which resulted in the leakage of sensitive information belonging to registered voters.
The second hacker suspected of sabotaging COMELEC website last month is now under NBI’s custody.
NBI identified the suspect as Jonel de Asis, 23, an Information Technology (I.T.) graduate from Technological University of the Philippines (TUP).
He was arrested in his house in Muntinlupa City last night based on a search warrant implemented by the NBI.
A laptop containing 340 gigabytes of data stolen from the COMELEC website was recovered from his possession.
NBI says, de Asis admitted to being “Lulzec” and having uploaded the stolen data to internet.
“Our forensic examination is ongoing but we have seen links to the information taken from the COMELEC,” states Deputy Chief Vic Lorenzo of NBI Cybercrime Division.
Another suspect, I.T. graduate Paul Biteng, was arrested by the NBI last week.
The two are considered the principal suspects in the hacking incident.
“We want to thank NBI for the arrest of the second hacker and this hacker is the one who leaked the COMELEC data,” COMELEC Chairman Atty. Andres Bautista expresses.
The suspects said they only wanted to show that the COMELEC website is vulnerable but the NBI is looking into the possibility that they sold the stolen data.
The National Privacy Commission is now also investigating the incident to determine the extent of the data leak and to guide Filipinos from falling victims to identity theft.
“We treat this very seriously because it involves personal information of many Filipinos. In all indications, this is a large-scale incident and we are taking this very seriously with COMELEC,” says Sec. Raymond Liboro, Chairman of National Privacy Commission.
NBI warned that those who will use the stolen data from COMELEC will be prosecuted.
“Certainly, we will be able to identify you sooner or later. So, avoid being the subject of the follow up operations of NBI,” warns NBI Director Atty. Virgilio Mendez.
De Asis will be charged for violations of Anti-Cybercrime Law while authorities are still running after the third suspect.
MANILA, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday (August 16) arrested one of Senator Leila de Lima’s co-accused in the illegal drug case.
Around 5:30 am on Friday, NBI operatives nabbed Jose Drian ‘Jad’ Dera in Angeles, Pampanga.
Dera has been hiding for two years since a warrant of arrest was issued against him.
De Lima and Dera were both accused in the two cases of alleged conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading in the ongoing trial at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branches 205 and 256.
Dera is De Lima’s nephew and former staff when she was then Justice Secretary.
Dera allegedly served as De Lima’s middleman in receiving P70-M cash from drug lords inside the New Bilibid Prisons as well as in the alleged extortion of P30-M and four vehicles from high-profile inmate Peter Co.
The lady senator, in her statement in March 2017, denied any blood links with Dera.
Dera, meanwhile, also denied being a relative of De Lima.
Majority of the Filipinos still favor continuing the holding of elections through an automated system in the future.
Based on Pulse Asia’s recent survey conducted last June, nine of 10 or 91% of Filipinos would still prefer having the elections done electronically.
They said an automated election system is faster and the results are immediately released.
“They feel that faster results made the Elections more credible and then it’s also easier compared to let’s say how we use to vote where you have to write the surname of the candidate,” Pulse Asia president Dr. Ronnie Holmes said.
An election watchdog, however, said that since election results were difficult to manipulate under the AES, reports of vote-buying increased.
“Vote buying became more rampant after we automated our Elections because candidates, politicians did not know how to cheat the machines,” said LENTE executive director Atty. Ona Carritos.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) believes that President Rodrigo Duterte still trusts the automated election system despite his earlier pronouncement in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) favoring the termination of the contract with Smartmatic. (with details from Aiko Miguel) /mbmf
MANILA, Philippines – The first division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday ordered the cancellation of the nomination of former National Youth Commission (NYC) Ronald Cardema as a representative of the Duterte Youth Party-list in the 18th Congress.
Comelec spokesperson, director James Jimenez announced the decision on his Twitter account.
The First Division of the COMELEC finds that Ronald Cardema is not eligible for nomination to represent Duterte Youth in the HoR; Cardema’s nomination ordered Cancelled. pic.twitter.com/ku1cghEkop
“The nomination of Respondent, Ronald Gian Carlo L. Cardema, as the first nominee of Duterte Youth party-list is hereby cancelled,” read the dispositive portion of the poll body’s first division resolution obtained by UNTV News and Rescue.
Two of the three-member division, Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Marlon Caquejo, voted in favor of the petition while Commissioner Al Parreño was on official business.
In a 25-page resolution, the Comelec 1st division said that Cardema committed material misrepresentation on his age when he filed his nomination bid.
The division said Cardema was not eligible to be nominated as Duterte Youth party representative contrary to the declaration he made in his Certificate of Acceptance of Nomination.
He was also aware that he is already 34 years old, and thus “committed a falsity when he misrepresented that he eligible for nomination” despite not possessing the age qualification provided by law for representatives of the youth sector.
Section 9 of Republic Act 7941 or the Partylist Law provides that a nominee of a youth party-list group must be between 25 to 30 years old.
“In view thereof, this Commission finds respondent to have committed material misrepresentation on his qualifications,” the resolution read.
During hearings, the camp of Cardema claimed that Duterte Youth is a multi-sectoral party representing not only the youth sector but also the young professionals and this, he is eligible to be nominated despite his already being 34 years old.
But taking the petition as a whole, the division said, it can be observed that the party intended to limit its representation of professionals only insofar as “young professionals” are concerned. The division noted that Cardema himself admitted to this effect in the pleadings he filed.
“While it may be true that Duterte Youth Party-list represents both the young and young professionals, it is important to consider that the professionals being represented by the party are the “young ones,” who would necessarily belong to the youth sector,” the resolution stated.
“With this in mind, this Commission finds no reason why the age qualification provided by law for nominees of the youth sector should not be applied to the respondent,” the resolution added.
Election Lawyer Emil Marañon, counsel for petitioners against Cardema’s nomination, welcomed the Comelec division’s decision.
“We are happy to announce that with the vote of 2-0, the Comelec First Division has granted our Petition seeking the cancellation of the nomination of Gian Carlo Cardema as the First Nominee of the Duterte Youth Party-List,” Marañon said on a Twitter post.
Commissioner Rowena Amelia Guanzon and Marlon Casquejo both voted to grant the Petition, while Commissioner Parreño was on official business. Our official statement to follow.
“Hopefully, this decision will be the first step towards the reform of the party-list system, that is to bring it back to the truly marginalized and underrepresented sectors,” he said in a separate statement.
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