NEGROS Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez filed a bill that aims to create the Philippine Scam Prevention Center (PSPC). Benitez filed House Bill 6815 last Dec. 15. “Despite laws targeting cybercrime, enforcement remains fragmented [...],” he said in the bill’s explanatory note. “This bill seeks to establish the Philippine Scam Prevention Center (PSPC) under the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) as the primary coordinating mechanism to address online and digital fraud,” he said. Under the bill, the PSPC “shall be composed of agencies comprising the CICC with the Department of Trade and Industry, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, National Telecommunications Commission, National Privacy Commission, financial institutions, telecommunication companies (telcos), online marketplaces and financial technology companies, among others.” Under the bill, the PSPC shall serve “as the primary governmental agency in enforcing and implementing laws related to online or digital fraud and financial scamming.” “The PSPC shall lead in receiving complaints, conducting fraud analysis, monitoring emerging threats and assisting in the enforcement of relevant laws, including Republic Act (RA) 12010 (2024), or the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, and RA 10175 (2012), or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012,” Benitez said. “It shall also oversee the creation of regional scam-prevention centers and strengthen interagency and public-private coordination among financial institutions, telcos, payment platforms and digital service providers,” he said.