CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — Central Visayas will soon have its own Cybercrime and Forensic Laboratory in Cebu.
This after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Region 7, in coordination with the Cebu provincial government, will set up a laboratory that will help the bureau address the number of cybercrime complaints they receive in the region.
“Because of the cases we are facing, the high cases of cybercrime, the NBI led by our Director Jaime Santiago, will be establishing a cybercrime laboratory here in our place in coordination with the local government of Cebu Province that will provide us the land. And we will be establishing a Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory in this part to cater to forensic cases in Region 7,” said NBI-7 regional director Atty. Rennan Augustus T. Oliva during the 19th episode of the ‘Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas’ program.
The laboratory is eyed to be operational by 2025.
Its services will include examination, autopsy, handwriting expert, cybercrime cases, fingerprint examination, and DNA examination.
The laboratory is seen to decongest the volume of requests received by the laboratory in Metro Manila, which is currently receiving all the exam requirements from the regions.
Cybercrimes are the most common complaints filed at NBI Central Visayas, alongside investment scams and wedding or event planning scams.
Common types of cybercrimes include hacking, phishing, identity theft, online scams and fraud, and child exploitation.
Oliva said NBI-7 recently conducted a joint operation together with the Military Intelligence Group 7 and the Philippine Center of Transnational Crime that rescued 169 foreigners who were caught in the act of being forced to perform ‘cyber offenses,’ such as love scams, investment frauds, and other cyber crimes.
This led to the filing of charges of qualified trafficking of persons against 13 Chinese nationals, two Indonesian nationals, one Myanmar national, and one Filipino.
Oliva said NBI-7 was also able to successfully apprehend violators involved in hacking and online sexual exploitation.
“The latest was last month, we were able to apprehend one from Talisay, Cebu who was sexually exploiting her own children to foreigners abroad,” Oliva said.
Their operation was done in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Currently, all cases are undergoing trial.
“I am happy to report to the public that all the cases filed are undergoing trial now. Our recommendations before the Prosecutor’s Office, before the Office of the Ombudsman, were all sustained and now we’re undergoing trial for these cases,” Oliva said.
Oliva said they conduct ‘cyber patrolling’ under their Cybercrime Division to help address the proliferation of cybercrimes in the region.
“We do cyber patrolling. We have experts at the office who do cyber patrolling to determine crimes that are being committed or about to be committed in cyberspace,” Oliva said.
Apart from the Cybercrime Unit of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the NBI also has their own Cybercrime Division’ based in Manila.
Central Visayas has two cybercrime experts who are based at the NBI Regional Office and in the Cebu District Office.
“Our other district offices can avail of the technical expertise of these cybercrime experts,” Oliva said. (JJT/PIA-7 Cebu)
