NBI to summon hacking ‘brains’

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced yesterday that it is preparing a subpoena for Art Samaniego, the technology editor of the Manila Bulletin, in connection with alleged hacking incidents involving private companies and government websites.

NBI deputy spokesperson Atty. Sean Michael Dangilan said the subpoena is based on an extrajudicial confession made by an arrested IT officer from the Manila Bulletin. The IT officer claimed that he hacked the websites under Samaniego’s direction.

“We are now in the process of readying what needs to be prepared and also for Samaniego to answer the allegations against him,” said Dangilan. He urged Samaniego to personally appear at the NBI to explain his side.

On Friday, the NBI arrested an IT officer of the Manila Bulletin. The worker was accused of hacking the websites of the military, the National Security Council, and several banks.

The suspect alleged that Samaniego instructed him to hack some of the websites so they could be used as content for Samaniego’s column and social media platforms.

Samaniego, who is also the Senior Technology Officer at the Manila Bulletin, has denied the allegations. He asserted his long-standing partnership with government agencies in cybersecurity.

The Manila Bulletin, on the other hand, stated that it “has always adhered to the laws of the land and requires its employees to be law-abiding.”

“We expect our employees to be accorded their rights. We assure the public of Manila Bulletin’s utmost fidelity to the laws of the land,” the newspaper added.

Jeremy Lontoc, NBI Cybercrime Division chief, confirmed that a worker at the paper implicated Samaniego in his extrajudicial confession.

“One of them is a data officer from Manila Bulletin. As a matter of fact, he alleged, based on his extrajudicial confession, [that] the one handling him and [who] ordered him to exploit systems is an editor of Manila Bulletin,” Lontoc said.