Aquino Urges Passage of Cybersecurity Agency Bill After Data Breaches

Sen. Bam Aquino renewed his push on for the creation of an independent National Cybersecurity Agency as Philippine regulators investigate a wave of data leaks affecting the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and other public institutions.

Aquino, who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, originally filed Senate Bill 2248, or the proposed National Cybersecurity and Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Act, on June 3, 2026^{. The measure has remained pending at the committee level since Aug. 11.}

In social media statements on Nov. 11, Aquino said consecutive hacking incidents and data leaks across government agencies and private firms expose personal records and threaten citizens’ savings when criminals use stolen data to carry out online scams.

“Amid consecutive incidents of hacking and data leaks in government agencies and the private sector, we need immediate action to protect the personal information of the public, prevent data breaches and curb online scams that use stolen citizen data,” Aquino said in a statement.

Recent Government Data Breaches

The legislative push follows a Nov. 9 confirmation by the SEC that unauthorized activity detected Nov. 6 on its digital platforms may have exposed individual user profiles, including full names, usernames, email addresses, mobile numbers, birth dates, genders, residential addresses and tax identification numbers. (Read More: BIR, SEC Launch Parallel Investigations Into Taxpayer Data Breaches)

The BIR also launched an investigation with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) into alleged leaks involving taxpayer databases.

On Nov. 10, the National Privacy Commission confirmed that 10 government agencies reported personal data breach incidents, including the SEC, BIR, DICT, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Justice, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Presidential Commission on Good Government, Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. (Read More: SEC Confirms Data Breach Involving Platform Users, Notifies Privacy Commission)

Scope of the Proposed Agency

Under Senate Bill 2248, the proposed National Cybersecurity Agency will serve as the primary government body for cybersecurity policy, preparedness, coordination and incident response^{. The agency will absorb the powers, functions and duties of the DICT Cybersecurity Bureau within a two-year transition period to prevent overlapping mandates.}

The measure covers all national government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations, government financial institutions, state universities and colleges and local government units, excluding constitutional bodies granted fiscal and administrative autonomy^{. It also mandates cooperative enforcement mechanisms between the new agency and sector regulators, including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, SEC, Insurance Commission, National Telecommunications Commission and Energy Regulatory Commission.}

Private operators of critical information infrastructure and third-party entities providing cybersecurity products or services to government or critical systems will also fall under the compliance framework^{. Aquino noted that the agency will provide data security training to private companies, including small businesses and online sellers, to help protect customer records against online fraud.}

Implementation and House Counterpart

The bill directs the DICT, Department of Budget and Management and Civil Service Commission to promulgate implementing rules and regulations within 120 days of the law taking effect^{. Entities holding international cybersecurity certifications at the time of enactment will be deemed compliant during the transition period.}

In the House of Representatives, lawmakers approved a counterpart measure, House Bill 9605, on third and final reading on Aug. 12 before transmitting it to the Senate.

Disclosure: AI is used to assist in developing this article.

This article is published on BitPinas: Aquino Urges Passage of Cybersecurity Agency Bill After Data Breaches

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