Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino on Tuesday emphasized the urgent need to defend the Philippines’ digital sovereignty following a surge of disinformation targeting the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“It is about time that we really involve national sovereignty side by side with our digital sovereignty. We patrol our seas with the Coast Guard, Navy, and PNP (Philippine National Police) Maritime Group. But is there a cyber patrol out there?” he posed.
Tolentino warned that recent attacks on the Comelec have been traced to troll operations based abroad, particularly in China.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia revealed during a recent Senate hearing that the commission has faced relentless disinformation campaigns aimed at eroding public confidence in the upcoming May 12 midterm elections.
Tolentino noted that these online attacks coincided with the arrest of a Chinese national allegedly caught using an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catcher near Comelec’s premises.
The senator stressed that such incidents highlight the growing threat of foreign interference in Philippine digital infrastructure.
“Foreign interference is ongoing, even though in a digital space. It undermines the sovereignty of our country, our institutions, as well as society itself,” he said.
Tolentino’s proposed Senate Bill No. 2951, or the Counter Foreign Interference Act, is designed to address these concerns according to the senator.
He explained that the measure broadens the scope of national security to include threats within the digital realm.
“There are many more like InfinitUs out there that we have yet to uncover. Numerous drones are still operating beneath our seas, and many IMSI catchers are still roaming around us,” Tolentino warned.
The senator thanked the country’s intelligence community but lamented that their efforts are not enough.
“As an act of love for the Philippines, let us help strengthen our cybersecurity. Let us work together to counter the spies, because they weaken our society,” Tolentino said.
