MINORITY SENATORS STATEMENT RE EMAIL BREACH
SENATORS AQUINO, DE LIMA, DRILON, HONTIVEROS, PANGILINAN, TRILLANES

October 12, 2017

We in the political opposition are seriously concerned about several hacking incidents concerning the email addresses of our staff from the offices of Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, and just now the official email addresses for releasing media statements of Sen. Pangilinan and the Liberal Party.

The nature of the breach in all instances is the same: Unauthorized users sent emails using the staff and party addresses. We have reported previous incidents to the National Bureau of Investigation and we await updates on the matter. We seek the help of the Senate President and the Senate sergeant-at-arms to look into the matter and to secure the services of experts.

These incidents seem to form part of a pattern to pin the political opposition for imaginary destabilization attempts. These are cause for concern as Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre spearheaded the creation of the Citizen National Guard, which says that dissent is destabilization.

Let us be clear. There is no destabilization plot. Dissent is not destabilization. Dissent is indispensable in a democracy.

Constitutional democracy protects the small voice, including the minority and the individual citizen, vis-a-vis the many and especially the all-powerful state.

Democracy ensures that the small voice is heard and not harassed to silence.