Philippines gaming regulator PAGCOR has released Php5 million (US$98,000) to the Department of Justice, Office of Cybercrime as part of a financial grant for the operation of the DOJ Office of Cybercrime’s Cyber Fusion Operations Center.
PAGCOR announced the grant this week, noting that the Php5 million represented the first tranche of a total Php11.08 million (US$218,000) to be granted. The financial grant will be used to procure IT equipment for the Operations Center, set to serve as the complaint and monitoring center of the inter-agency council against illegal online gambling, the regulator said.
The second tranche will be released once the initial Php5 million has been utilized.
Once established, the Operations Center will be manned by the Office of Cybercrime and function as the command cluster and computer forensic cluster of the inter-agency council.
“The OpCen will operate on a multi-level functions serving as communications facility and hands-on ready training facility,” said the Office of Cybercrime’s Officer-in-Charge, Atty. Charito Zamora.
“It will definitely help the council in reinforcing its fight against the rampant proliferation of illegal online gambling. We thank PAGCOR for their all-out support for the creation of the OpCen. It will help all the members of the task force to prevent and suppress cybercrime in the country.”
Creation of the Operations Center comes after PAGCOR, the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration and DOJ’s Office of Cybercrime signed a Mutual Cooperation Agreement in March 2019 to handle intelligence gathering, investigations and prosecutions of illegal online gaming activities.