The Department of Information and Communications Technology should adopt a reward system for tracking down and going after hackers in the country.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano made this suggestion during the hearing by the Senate Committee on Science and Technology on the recent cyber attack incidents on the websites of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and all other government agencies.

"It prevents major breaches on our cyber security and it's worth it we can upgrade the country in the sense that hackers will not work here…you can minimize to the point that it is not worth their time (attempting to hack us)," he said.

The senator also urged the government to impose stiffer penalties against hackers.

"If we can upgrade the country in the sense that hackers will not work here…you can minimize to the point that it is not worth their time, attempting to hack us," Cayetano told DICT officials.

Senator Mark Villar earlier filed Senate Resolution 811 after the state insurer PhilHealth was reportedly targeted by the Medusa ransomware cyber attack last September

It was followed by the hacking of the Philippine Statistic Authority earlier this month. The PSA confirmed a data leak from its Community-Based Monitoring System.

Other senators have earlier expressed alarm over the series of hacking incidents targeting government agencies.

Senator Win Gatchalian said this "only proved that the Philippines is vulnerable to cyberattacks."

Senator Francis Tolentino noted the crucial job of DICT to resolve the data hacking issues in the country.