DILIMAN, Quezon City — To improve efforts in combating cybercrimes, especially those related to dangerous drugs and controlled components, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to make CICC’s resources and technical expertise available to PDEA representatives.

Aside from this, the CICC will likewise facilitate the drug agency’s data sharing with other agencies relevant to RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and other pertinent laws, even as PDEA in return will allow resource sharing with the CICC to prevent and suppress cybercrimes.

With the agreement in place, CICC executive director Alexander Ramos expressed optimism: “We look forward to closer working relations. We see CICC as a binding entity to all of these, in the middle of all these activities.”

For his part, PDEA assistant secretary Renato Gumban welcomed their partnership with CICC as he pointed out that data sharing would be invaluable in their campaign as criminals have now shifted from bank transfers to cryptocurrency payments.

"This new technology makes it difficult for law enforcement to track drug payments. It’s a bit difficult. It needs technology [so] we need [the] CICC there,” Gumban stated.