By Liezelle Soriano
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) have signed a joint circular, that would allow the former to hire more than one thousand prosecutors and more than 300 prosecution lawyers.
The mass hiring is expected for the DOJ to facilitate faster resolution of cybercrime issues.
To be exact, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that the joint circular empowers the agency to hire an additional 1,073 prosecutors and 364 prosecution lawyers.
“To combat this evolving criminal landscape, we must deploy more public prosecutors with a deep understanding of the legal nuances, digital forensics, and investigative techniques,” Remulla said.
For her part, Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman emphasized the significance of the nation’s prosecution service, which has to be available to all Filipinos.
Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) earlier said that it handled 16,297 cybercrime cases in a span of eight months alone or from January 2023 to August 2023.
In July, PNP-ACG said that the number of cybercrime incidents in Metro Manila alone soared to 6,250 from 2,477 last year.
ACG director Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia said that a lot of online users are still unaware of the “click the link” scam.
He added: “The victim doesn’t know that if he or she clicks the link, it would lead to a site for updating bank details. If he or she falls into the scheme, there is a big possibility that the scammers would get a hold of his or her bank details, hence, the money would be transferred to another account.”
(ai/mnm)
