The Land Transportation Office and the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-ACG) have strengthened cooperation in the fight against cybercriminals, particularly those engaged in illegal activities involving transactions in the land transport agency.
The memorandum of understanding, signed recently by LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II and PNP-ACG director, P/Brig. General Bernard Yang, is pursuant to the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make all digital transactions in the government safe, and to ensure that the data privacy is strictly observed.
“The cooperation of the LTO and the PNP-ACG is essential to make the digital platforms for land transportation-related transactions safe to all our clients, particularly on the aspect of data privacy and online scams,” Mendoza said in a statement.
He said the MOU was based on the mandate of both agencies to operate within domains where data protection and cyber-related offenses intersect. “Through this MOU, we hope to conduct more aggressive operations and legal offensives against fixers, scammers and cybercriminals.”
Under the agreement, both the LTO and the PNP-ACG will work on efficient information-sharing, joint initiatives, and coordinated enforcement efforts.
The cooperation covers case referral, joint investigation and information sharing, enforcement mechanism, knowledge sharing, and capacity-building activities.
The MOU is aimed at bolstering cooperation in safeguarding data privacy, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and combating cybercrimes, including online scams and the proliferation of fixers in land transportation transactions.
Mendoza emphasized the importance of PNP-ACG’s assistance, especially that the LTO is one of the agencies that invested much on digitalization in all its transactions.
Yang said the MOU is a good start in the government’s intensified efforts to run after cybercriminals. “This partnership is a powerful step towards protecting our citizens, not only on the roads, but also in cyberspace.” ||
