SENATOR Mark Villar condemns the recent Medusa ransomware cyber attack against the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) as he asserts that the attack compromises private information and the health of the public.

“Ang atake na ito ay hindi lamang isang malaking kaso ng information theft. Ito ay bahagi ng malawakang atake laban sa public health and welfare because these attacks compromise the medical information of the members of PhilHealth,” the Senator said.

The senator also asserts that the more than 24-hour downtime of the PhilHealth system during the attack has endangered the capacity of its members and beneficiaries to seek immediate medical assistance.

“Ang cyber attack laban sa PhilHealth ay hindi lamang atake laban sa isang institusyon ng gobyerno. Ito ay atake laban sa bawat indibidwal na miyembro ng PhilHealth at sa kanilang karapatan sa secured at accessible na tulong medikal,” the Senator said.

The Senator expresses his growing concern about the series of cyber attacks against different government institutions, PhilHealth being the latest victim. Senator Mark Villar filed Resolution No. 811 before the Senate directing the appropriate Senate Committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation over this cyber attack incident and all the other attacks against government websites.

“It is high time that we strengthen our cyberspace security as we are dealing with private and delicate information that could endanger, not just of one institution, but of the general Filipino public,” Senator Mark Villar emphasized.

Villar, a staunch advocate for heightened security in digital cyberspace, stands in his firm belief that the regulation of cyberspace is timely and relevant, considering the increasing cases of cyber attacks on government agencies and the cases of online fraud against consumers.

AUTHOR PROFILE

PS Jun M. Sarmiento