Paul Biteng, the 20-year-old Information Technology graduate accused of hacking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) website, faces a maximum of 60 years in jail if he is found guilty of violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Biteng was arrested on Apr 20 by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at his family’s home in Sampaloc, Manila, for allegedly hacking the Comelec website last month.
READ: NBI identifies Comelec website hacker as fresh IT grad from Manila school
On Mon, Apr 25, the Manila Prosecutor’s Office deemed that there was probable cause to approve the filing of three charges against Biteng — illegal access, data interference, and misuse of device.
“Chief Inquest Prosecutor Jovencio Senados explained that although each alleged offense carries a jail term ranging from six to 12 years, the penalty may be hiked by the judge trying the case to 20 years per offense since the crime committed involved a ‘critical infrastructure,'” reports Aie Balagtas See in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Senados further stated, “When you commit a crime against critical infrastructures, the penalty will go [up] one degree higher. The Comelec is considered a critical infrastructure, especially now during the election period.”
The report noted: “Biteng, however, may be freed temporarily should he be able to post bail at PHP200,000 per offense.
Biteng, who is said to be a member of the hacking group Anonymous Philippines, admitted hacking the Comelec website with the aim of exposing its weaknesses. However, he emphasized that he was not responsible for the data leak that exposed the information of millions of voters. He claimed that the leak was done by two other hackers he met online.
