The Office of the Ombudsman is now equipped with ‘technical’ personnel who will be handling investigations on cybercrime cases against erring government officials.
This after 35 anti-graft investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman underwent a two-day comprehensive training on cybercrimes investigation and digital evidence handling sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines.
“This is the first of a series to train investigators and prosecutors to effectively counter public corruption using digital forensics. It is part of the U.S. Embassy’s effort, through the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT), to enhance Philippine justice sector capabilities to combat transnational crimes,” said the US Embassy in a statement.
In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) Office of OPDAT, the training focused on Rules on Cybercrime Warrants, digital media privacy, and digital forensics tools.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen briefed participants on privacy in digital media. The U.S. DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) Cybercrime Laboratory Director and Senior Digital Investigative Analyst led a hands-on session on digital forensic tools using CCIPS teaching laptops that U.S. DOJ brought to the Philippines specifically for the training.
Participants were taught on the preservation of digital evidence, conduct basic digital analysis, and effectively present digital evidence in court.
U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission John Law was among the speakers during the event.
“The Ombudsman’s Office is a strong partner and is showing a forward-thinking mindset in its efforts to train its officials on digital forensics and constantly improve its investigative and prosecutorial skills,” Law said.
Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente said that fighting corruption in the digital age demands new tools. Corrupt public officials take advantage of new technologies and stringent privacy law to hide their illicit activities.