The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) declared they were not responsible for claims of Manila Bulletin technology editor Art Samaniego's involvement in the hacking of various government agencies' websites.
In an interview on Dos Por Dos, NBI Director Jaime Santiago stated the hackers arrested over the breach of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) and National Security Council's (NSC) websites themselves named Samaniego the mastermind of the said crimes before the media.
"In the presence of our media men, siya (the hackers) ang nagsabi mismo, so hindi nanggaling sa bunganga namin. Kaya sabi ko nga sa mga reporter, 'O ayan, nakita ninyo, sa harap ninyo, walang nakatutok na baril, hindi siya tinotorture--siya ang nagkukuwento sa inyo kung sino involved,'" Santiago said.
("In the presence of our media men, the hackers said it themselves, so it did not come from our mouths. That's why I tell reporters, 'There, you see, in front of you, they are not at gunpoint, they are not being tortured--they are the ones telling you who are involved.'")
As of now, the NBI are preparing a subpoena summoning Samaniego over allegations that he had ordered the breaches on the said government websites to harvest content for his column and social media platforms.
Prior to this, Samaniego had told DZRH that there was no truth to these accusations, saying "The burden of proof is on the one who accuses."
The Cybercrime unit of the NBI is currently investigating the allegations that the three arrested hackers have other accomplices.
