Almost three years after the approval of Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, the Department of Justice has finally announced that it has completed the review of the law?s implementing rules and regulations (IRR).
“After extensive series of consultations with key stakeholders and the legal groundwork, the IRR of our cybercrime law is now ready for endorsement to our partners as stated in the law — the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST),” said DOJ secretary Leila M. De Lima.
The Cybercrime Technical Working Group (TWG) was composed of the DOJ, the ICT Office of the DOST, the DILG, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine National Police.
Among those who participated in the drafting were representatives from business, academe, non-governmental organizations, legal profession, media, ICT groups, and Internet service providers.
The law creates a Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC) and institutionalizes the Office of Cybercrime of the Department of Justice.
The Cybercrime Law was signed into law by Pres. Aquino on September 2012. Its contentious provisions, particularly on online libel, triggered massive public reaction. A total of 16 petitions were filed against it at the Supreme Court. However, the High Tribunal eventually ruled that the law was constitutional save for a few provisions.
While the three-year delay of the IRR seems lengthy, another ICT-related legislation ? the Data Privacy Law ? has also been waiting for a longer time for its IRR to be drafted. The law was passed in August 2012 or a month before the passage of the Cybercrime Law.
