Cess Gatchalian

Chinese hackers allegedly breached and accessed data from the Office of the President in 2023, while government officials assured no sensitive information was compromised, and downplayed the incident amid ongoing cybersecurity efforts.


The hackers allegedly infiltrated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office as part of a broader cyber espionage campaign, involving several attempts to steal data, the government confirmed.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan Uy addressed the recent security incident in a press briefing on January 8, assuring the public that no sensitive data had been compromised and that measures are being taken to secure the system.

"We have not seen any indication that any sensitive data was taken. We are securing the system." Uy stated.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil echoed the government's position, stressing that the breach had little impact.

“There was no significant impact. The information that was accessed was not sensitive,” she stated. 

She added that the government was taking measures to strengthen defenses against future attacks.

Although the breach has been downplayed by officials, experts have raised concerns about the broader implications of such cyber intrusions.

While no critical data was reported stolen, experts warn that the attack could still be part of a larger effort to gather intelligence for future cyber operations.