By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – The Department of Justice’s Office of Cybercrime and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are in talks to collaborate in various projects to strengthen criminal justice, especially on the intensified enforcement of cybercrime laws in the Philippines.
In a recent news release, the DOJ said among the activities the two agencies aim to undertake is increasing the government’s pool of digital forensic experts and boosting their capacities of cybercrime investigators and prosecutors.
DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla highlighted this need due to the steady increase in cybercrimes and cyber-enabled offenses or incidents in the country.
To negotiate on the details of this partnership, Remulla will lead a small delegation of DOJ officials to the UNODC headquarters in Vienna, Austria to sit down with its Executive Director, Ghada Fathi Waly. The delegation will also visit UNODC’s Crime Laboratory.
The meeting and visit will be conducted on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs on March 10 to 14. The DOJ said the activities are in line with the Marcos administration’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law.
Meanwhile, Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes Andres, head of DOJ’s Law Enforcement Cluster, currently leads exploratory talks with UNODC’s team in the Philippines.
Andres said he envisions to institutionalize the government’s ability to procure and utilize the necessary digital forensic tools and software applications used in cybercrime investigations. Funding for the renewal of licenses of these important investigative tools must always be given priority, he added.
The DOJ and the UNODC look forward to signing in May this year a comprehensive memorandum of agreement to cover the various justice sector programs, including prison reform and forensics. (PNA)