By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan | Philippine News Agency
Newly appointed Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) chief PBGEN. Bernard Yang has vowed to strengthen the group’s cybersecurity infrastructure by adopting advanced technologies and strategies.
Yang said the ACG’s policing framework focuses on proactive defense, swift response, and collaboration to combat cybercrime effectively.
“We will build cutting-edge cyber defenses and we will strengthen the ACG’s cybersecurity infrastructure by adopting advanced technologies and strategies. This includes investing in state-of-the art security tools, threat detection systems, and world-class training for our personnel,” Yang said in a speech during his assumption of the ACG command at its headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Monday.
The new chief said he expects the ACG personnel to respond swiftly to cyber threats and incidents, as they will develop a swift and coordinated response mechanism for cyber threats and incidents.
“This involves creating dedicated cyber response teams, establishing clear protocols, and enhancing the capacity to handle real-time cyber threats and incidents, minimizing damage and recovery time,” Yang said.
He also underscored sustainable partnerships that will foster collaboration with both local and international law enforcement agencies, private sector experts, and academic institutions.
He said that by building strong alliances, the ACG will gain access to broader resources, share intelligence, and stay ahead of emerging cybercrime trends.
Yang said his new command will create an internal communications group, similar to what he implemented in the Southern Police District (SPD) that would monitor the flow of work, from city and provincial anti-cybercrime teams to the regional office up to the national headquarters and from one division to another, to ensure correspondences move immediately, must communicate quickly, efficiently, and effectively.
“I want all these changes to happen during the course of my term, so that our mission to ‘serve and protect’ will be clearly delivered and enjoyed by the people. I do not ask for anything that is not doable; while this is a challenging task, collectively, we can do this, let’s make this our legacy,” Yang said.
“To be chosen by no less than the Chief PNP to be the director of the Anti-Cybercrime Group is the highest honor and the greatest challenge of my career. This is being made possible by the grace of God,” he added.
Yang assumed the position vacated by PMGEN. Ronnie Cariaga, who was reassigned to the Area Police Command in Northern Luzon.
Cariaga was previously administratively relieved over alleged anomalies during a raid on a Philippine offshore gaming operator hub in Manila.