The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Cyber-related offenses now account for as many as eight out of every 10 complaints received by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), even as the agency faces a sharp reduction in its proposed 2027 funding.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag told senators Wednesday that the bureau’s workload has increasingly shifted toward cases involving digital platforms, including cyberfraud, scams and other technology-assisted crimes.
“On the average, we’re about getting 7 to 8 cases po out of 10 sa NBI po (at the NBI). Kung hindi man po sa directly related, yung mga crimes po na ginawa, related po sa cyber (that are either directly related or connected to cybercrime),” Matibag said.
He made the disclosure during the Senate hearing on the Department of Justice’s proposed 2027 budget, where lawmakers questioned cuts affecting agencies responsible for fighting cybercrime.
Matibag said criminal groups are also becoming more sophisticated, with some operators displaced by the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) moving into scam operations and cryptocurrency-related activities.
“It’s sad to say na yung pong ating mga criminals ngayon, medyo mas nagiging advanced pa (that criminals today are becoming more advanced),” he said.
The NBI is seeking additional tools and equipment to keep up with the growing threat, including capabilities to track activities on the deep and dark web.
But the bureau’s proposed 2027 budget stands at only about ₱3.03 billion, 22.34 percent lower than its ₱3.9-billion allocation this year.
Its capital outlay is set for an even steeper cut, plunging from ₱1.159 billion to just ₱121 million, or nearly 90 percent.
Funding for anti-cybercrime enforcement under the DOJ Office of the Secretary is likewise proposed to fall 71.43 percent, from ₱119 million to ₱34 million.
Matibag said the funding reductions come as NBI operations have nearly doubled from last year’s average of about 110 cases a month to between 200 and 220 monthly since April.
The increased activity has raised operational expenses covering surveillance, intelligence gathering and other investigative requirements, he said.
Recent NBI operations have included cases involving computer-related fraud, identity theft and online scam networks, including schemes linked to pre-registered SIM cards and former POGO operators.