Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro (File photo)
MANILA – An investigation is now underway into the hacking of the official Facebook page of the city government of Marikina, Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said Friday.
In a phone interview, Teodoro said the Facebook page of the Marikina Public Information Office (PIO) has been inaccessible since Wednesday.
He added that the hacking of the PIO's page followed "an hour" after the Facebook account of his wife, 1st District Rep. Marjorie Ann Teodoro was hacked.
Both pages are still inaccessible as of press time.
“First, we have coordinated with the local police and they are now investigating to unmask the unscrupulous individuals behind this. The local police have also coordinated with the PNP (Philippine National Police) National Headquarters. Second, we might put up a new Marikina PIO Facebook page so that the services provided by the hacked Facebook page, including responses to inquiry and information dissemination measures, would not be hampered," Teodoro said in Filipino.
Teodoro said they have also requested Facebook for the retrieval of the PIO's account.
Among the security lapses seen by the mayor include the irregular changing of the account's password.
In the meantime, Teodoro said the public can send messages to the Marikina City Rescue 161 Facebook page for any concerns.
The Marikina PIO's Facebook account has more than 1 million followers including non-residents, Teodoro added.
He said the incident has affected a lot of their services, including the dissemination of information on tax payment schedules. (PNA)
