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Renalyn Ramirez - Philstar.com
June 11, 2026 | 11:16am
MANILA, Philippines — Local hacking activist collective Nullsec Philippines defaced the official website of the Senate of the Philippines at around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11.
Nullsec Philippines altered the contents of the website and left a message to the Senate as it admitted responsibility for the hacking incident in a Facebook post.
“The Filipino people entrusted you with power, responsibility, and the duty to serve the nation—not personal interests, political dynasties, or corrupt networks. Every peso lost to corruption is a meal taken from a family, a classroom left unfinished, and a future denied,” Nullsec Philippines said.
Defacing, in cybersecurity, is the act of illegally breaking into a website to alter its visual appearance and content, replacing it with a protest message, similar to virtual graffiti or digital vandalism.
“The people deserve truth. The people deserve accountability. The people deserve better. We do not forgive, We do not forget. Expect Us,” the hacktivists added.
Nullsec Philippines is a collective of grey-hat “hacktivists” who previously defaced official government websites in late 2025, including the websites of the Department of Education and the University of the Philippines Open University.
As of 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11, the Senate website remains under maintenance but no longer displays Nullsec’s message.
The Senate Electronic Data Processing and Management Information System Bureau (EDP-MIS) confirmed that their website had been defaced, but assured the public that no sensitive information was affected.
“Based on our initial assessment, there is no indication that any confidential or sensitive information has been compromised,” they said.
The Senate mess
The Senate has been in chaos for a month now since Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa unexpectedly reappeared in session after six months of hiding on May 11. Dela Rosa's presence in the chamber became significant as 13 senators voted for the ouster of then Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and elected Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano in his place.
It was then followed by a gun-related incident on May 13, which paved the way for Dela Rosa's escape and evasion of an active arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity.
Currently, authorities are still tracking the whereabouts of the fugitive lawmaker. Obstruction of justice cases have also been filed against Sen. Robin Padilla for allegedly helping Dela Rosa escape.
Leadership dispute
Another round of chaos ensued in the Senate on June 1 after the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada for his P573-million plunder case related to flood control corruption.
Since his arrest, his allies in the former majority bloc, including Cayetano, who was then holding the Senate leadership, refused to attend sessions for two consecutive days. Sessions were canceled during their absence, causing delays in the passage of some key measures.
The leadership issue in the Senate intensified when on June 3, Sen. Francis Escudero, who previously associated himself with the Cayetano-led bloc, showed up and joined the 11-member minority.
A quorum of 12 was then declared, and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore. Arguments arose from then on as Cayetano insisted that he still holds the Senate leadership position.
The Senate was then divided into two factions — the Cayetano bloc and the Gatchalian bloc — but both Malacañang and the House of Representatives already recognized Gatchalian as the new Senate leader and his bloc as the new majority.
The chaos in the Senate continues after a possible security threat was relayed to senators by the National Bureau of Investigation earlier this week. This potential threat prompted Gatchalian to order a work-from-home arrangement for all Senate employees. The Senate building was also placed under heightened alert and police were deployed to secure the area.
The developments came as the Senate prepares to hold an impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte over graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust and unexplained wealth.
