Acting Senate President Win Gatchalian on Thursday condemned the cyberattack on the Senate website and called for a coordinated government investigation to identify and prosecute those behind it.
The solon said the incident should not be viewed as an isolated attack, but as part of a broader pattern of threats against the security and independence of the Senate.
The chamber has been under heightened security alert after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) relayed serious threats to senators. The situation prompted the Senate to allow employees to work from home on June 10 and 11 while inspections and other precautionary measures were carried out.
“This cannot be treated as an isolated incident. Ang pag-atake sa aming mga sistema, gaya ng iba pang banta na kinakaharap natin ngayon, ay krimen. At lahat ng kriminal ay dapat managot sa batas,” the lawmaker said.
He urged the NBI, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to immediately conduct a thorough investigation into the website defacement.
The Senate confirmed that the cyberattack was limited to the defacement of its website. No legislative files, databases, or sensitive records were compromised.
Still, the Acting Senate President said the intrusion was a serious violation of the institution’s integrity and should be treated with urgency.
“Hindi kami susuko sa intimidasyon. Hindi kami hihinto sa aming trabaho para sa bawat Pilipino,” he said.
“Ang mga nagtatangkang sirain ang demokrasya sa pamamagitan ng karahasan ay haharapin ang buong kapangyarihan ng batas, at ang buong lakas ng isang institusyon na nakatayo para sa katotohanan, katarungan, at kalayaan ng ating bansa,” Gatchalian added.
The Senate leadership said government cybersecurity and law enforcement agencies must work together to ensure accountability and protect public institutions from similar attacks.