AN ARTLETS alumnus who has been appointed as the new head of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has vowed to improve the system of reporting online crimes and to push for reforms that would strengthen the efforts against hi-tech threats.
UST Legal Management alumnus and lawyer Renato “Aboy” Paraiso took his oath as chief of CICC, an agency attached to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), on Monday, Feb. 2.
The CICC is tasked with combating online crimes and digital threats.
Paraiso said he aims to restore public trust and to come up with a better reporting mechanism, noting that some cybercrime victims have reservations about filing complaints.
“Our fellow men hesitate to complain… so [with] the establishment of a reporting mechanism, they know that their complaint will be addressed should they file a report,” Paraiso told The Flame.
Paraiso also seeks to bridge existing legislative gaps in the cybersecurity domain by pushing for improvements in the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and establishing cyber diplomats.
“We’re advocating for the revision of [Republic Act] 10175, updating of cybercrime laws, establishment of cyber diplomats, the passage of the Cybersecurity Act. So these are the legislations we’re looking at and hopefully gets passed within this Congress,” he said.
Paraiso replaced former CICC executive director Alexander Ramos, who submitted his courtesy resignation in April last year following a leadership change in the agency.
The new cybersecurity center chief completed his basic and tertiary education at UST, earning his Legal Management degree in 2000. He began his legal studies at the UST Faculty of Civil Law before transferring to the Philippine Law School, where he obtained his law degree. He passed the Bar examinations in 2007.
Before his appointment to CICC, Paraiso served as spokesperson and assistant secretary for legal affairs of DICT. He was named CICC deputy executive director in June 2025 and was promoted to acting executive director two months later.
Paraiso practiced corporate and commercial law in the private sector before entering the government. F — Yimrhaq Mariano and John Martin Revilla
