/PNA
MANILA — Citing lack of time, House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday expressed reluctance to the proposed investigation to be undertaken by the House over the alleged massive data breach at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“Investigations are not the job of the House. Inquiries but not investigations,” Arroyo said in an ambush interview during a consultation with urban poor housing beneficiaries in Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City.
“And inquiries have to be in aid of legislation and in reality, what legislation can we introduce in a few months?” she said.
Congress has only until February 8 before it adjourns before the campaign period for the May 13 midterm elections.
It will resume sessions on May 20 to June 7 before the 17th Congress adjourns sine die.
Lawmakers have been pushing for a congressional investigation to look into the alleged data security breach covering Filipino passport holders after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the DFA needed to “rebuild” its database for passports issued before 2010 after a “previous outsourced passport maker took all the data when contract terminated.”
The DFA in 2015 tapped APO Production Unit Inc. (APUI) to produce a new e-passport system.
However, APO subcontracted the production of new passports to the United Graphic Expression Corp. (UGEC) despite an existing contract between the DFA and French firm Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciare for the production of passports compliant with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Locsin claimed that Oberthur deposited the data in a warehouse in Lipa “out of irritation” and refused to give the access code.
