DOJ eyes special cybercourt due to 100 cases daily
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is advocating for the establishment of a specialized cybercrime court to handle the rapidly increasing volume of digital offenses, as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) logs between 100 and 150 cybercrime complaints every day.
The proposal was raised by Justice Undersecretary Garney Candelaria, noting that the sheer volume of cases warrants dedicated judicial branches, similar to existing special courts handling commercial law and right-of-way disputes.
"In terms of whether cybercrime cases should be filed, there are already many. We have commercial courts and courts on right-of-way, right? It would be excellent if we could also have a dedicated Cybercrime Court," Candelaria stated, adding, "We do not have one yet, but that would be a great legacy because that is where the entirety of criminal cases will revolve. Disputes and conflicts nowadays have already shifted online."
On the other hand, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the shift from traditional street crimes to digital platforms is heavily reflected in their daily operations. While the majority of the complaints involve interpersonal disputes, organized financial crimes and severe online exploitation remain critical threats.
"If you aggregate everything, we are averaging about 100 to 150 complaints received per day. A large portion of that consists of simple cases of cyber libel and cyberbullying," Matibag explained.
But the most frightening cases the NBI is currently investigating are those involving child groomers related to child exploitation.
Alarm was also raised over the rise of digital financial fraud targeting ordinary citizens through mobile applications and malicious links.
"Another area we are closely monitoring is online loan scams used for lending and collection. There is also phishing, where clicking on certain links allows perpetrators to siphon and steal your data and money. It is a mix of various offenses, especially financial crimes," Matibag added.
The DOJ and NBI reiterate their commitment to upgrading the country's legal and investigative infrastructure to protect Filipinos as criminal activities increasingly move from the streets to social media and digital gadgets.
The NBI has requested an upgraded budget to procure advanced digital tools, highlighting that tech-savvy criminals are outpacing current law enforcement capabilities.
Matibag revealed that the bureau sought additional funding during recent Department of Justice (DOJ) budget deliberations to enhance its digital warfare capacity.
The push comes amid a surge in illegal operations, including unlicensed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
"Actually, that is what I am asking for during the DOJ budget deliberations along with the NBI—that our capacity to purchase tools to fight this be increased, because those who commit crimes evolve faster," Matibag stated. "Not to mention the POGOs engaged in online gambling without a permit, there are so many of them. If the NBI handles ten cases a day, maybe seven to eight of those (70%) have a direct or indirect connection to social media and gadgets."
He emphasized that the NBI remains a highly lean unit with only about 380 agents nationwide, though he maintained that its personnel are deeply dependable.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida addressed public dissatisfaction regarding cybercrime response, candidly admitting that infrastructural limitations within state agencies persist.
"Because there is still a gap in government service, many people are complaining. If they seek help from the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, the numbers are even larger because they have a wider presence. Because people are complaining, it means what the government is doing is still insufficient. We admit to that," Vida said.
The DOJ and NBI reaffirmed their commitment to narrow these service gaps and scale up operational funding to match the growing sophistication of digital syndicates.