A CEBU City councilor has warned that the City’s information technology (IT) systems could compromise sensitive data and affect future operations, citing a lack of security protocols and potential legal issues.
During a privilege speech at the regular session on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, Councilor Winston Pepito detailed several critical flaws in the City’s digital and IT infrastructure.
The councilor said the City’s database systems lack a formal structure, protocols or standard operating procedure. They are also not backed up.
“I was informed that no problem backup of the system exists. Our database and computer systems are the backbone of City Hall operations,” he said.
Pepito said the situation makes the City Hall’s operation vulnerable to a complete shutdown if a server fails.
The councilor added that if the original programmers were to leave, the City would lose the ability to maintain or restore the system.
“Some programmers allegedly have unrestricted access to the database servers, which poses a serious risk,” Pepito said, raising security concerns.
The councilor also revealed that the City has no centralized repository for its source code. The code is stored on individual programmers’ computers, and some programmers were reportedly hesitant to share it.
“If someone with malicious intent were to act, they could cripple the entire City’s digital operations,” Pepito said.
The City has no clear ownership of the source code. The councilor said third-party libraries, possibly without full licenses, have been integrated into the system. The councilor insisted that all code developed by city-employed programmers must be fully owned by the City.
Councilor Mikel Rama, who chairs the committee on laws, styles and ordinances, clarified that under the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, programmers employed by the City Government have no rights to own programs created during office hours for the City.
In response, Pepito passed resolutions requesting the IT department to submit its policies and procedures to the committee on information technology. These resolutions also ask the City Legal Office to investigate how to take action against uncooperative staff.
Meanwhile, an executive session will be convened to review IT policies after Councilor Dave Tumulak raised the urgency and necessity to resolve the concerns.
The council concurred with Tumulak’s suggestion to conduct the executive session at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 7. He invited experts from the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group and the City Hall’s Management Information and Computer Services. / EHP