Episode 2

Outgoing commander of the Cybercrime Unit 7 Col. Appolonio Masangcay, attends his last command conference at the General Directorate Regional Office, Camp Jonas. He explains how Forge Island is a lot safer when it comes to cybercrime.

Col. Masangcay: RD (jargon for regional director), gentlemen and ladies. Cybercrime may have risen to 42% in the region, of the three island governments, Forge Island has the highest while to the west barely 1% for Black Oriental Island and the east a measly 5% in Hillyland Island. People should not be alarmed, or panic. We have solved 89% of the cases. We have the highest conviction rate. Forge Island is still relatively more secure and safer, because of our unit’s conviction and resolve.

RD Mantos: Good job, by the way, your unit has outdone itself. But safer, is it? When it is 42% higher.

Assistant Regional Director Lucille Montilla interjects.

ARD Montilla : RD if you may, and your indulgence, might I add to what you have just mentioned.

RD Mantos nods.

ARD Montilla: The RD and I have discussed how we must report this. I guess to paraphrase it. Is Central Dakbayan safe for cyber business? Since businesses these days are transacted in cyberspace. And cybercrime has risen.

Col. Masangcay: I must agree that it has risen. We can assure the taxpayers that their police are working hard, with the 89% score. However, we must educate the public on the signs of online scams. This way we can prevent our citizens from falling into scams. Public awareness is the key. Most of our issues are cyber libel. We do have a lot of scams. But we have traced a lot of them. Our difficulty is the cooperation of all of the social media companies with law enforcement. Most of the scams are usually done through social media companies. In the end to make our cyber community safer educating the citizens on the signs of illegal business or dubious enterprises should be a must. We must emphasize that prevention is better. And accentuate further that by prevention they will not be annoyed by the problems that come after becoming a victim of online scams.

ARD Montilla looks at her superior, RD Mantos. She could clearly picture out his face lost in the words of Colonel Masangcay.

ARD Montilla: My apologies colonel, but what really makes Forge Island safer?

Col. Masangcay smiles, with his teeth that seem to gleam and sparkle. As he boasts his white teeth to the ARD. And raises his right hand with a thumbs up. As he puts his hand back down, he responds.

Col. Masangcay: 89%. To put it bluntly 89% solved cases. On the increase in cybercrime rate, 9% is unsolved. From the previous two years of cybercrimes, we have mostly solved them last year and only 2% is still ongoing.

RD Mantos: That seems promising, but the rate increase is astronomical in my book. Why do you think it's that, that, do we have some specificity on the actual crimes?

ARD Montilla: What we have right now here are simply statistics, well general statistics. We would like to see the breakdown.

Col. Masangcay: Certainly, the breakdown of such crimes is in my brief. Of which I have already submitted to the Regional Directorate Director’s office for photocopying. I have also submitted my electronic copy. I am unaware of how many to print out, I am confident that the Director’s staff is more knowledgeable than I on that matter.

The command structure of the Regional Directorate, has the standard or typical to most armies. We have the Human Resource Office or Oscar 1(O1), Information Office - Oscar 2(O2), Operations Office - Oscar 3(O3), Logistics - Oscar 4(O4), Research and Development - Oscar 5(O5), Communications - Oscar 6(O6).

These offices are all interdependent, divisions of criminal units and patrols units are all under them. However, for the consolidation of action it is the O3 that decides on the protocols, with approval from the Regional Director.

O5 Chief, Col. Julian Black or JB to his friends, questions Col. Masangcay. He raises his hand to call the attention of the RD.

Col. JB: RD, General may I rephrase or rather perhaps ask another question in lieu with all of this buck passing and long speeches, we sound like politicians.

RD Mantos: By all means JB, shoot.

Col. JB: Col. Masangcay, on paper, I mean I have read your brief, but all in all it does not really tell us that it is truly safe or safer whichever word or adjective you are using. And yet this can either be subjective or objective. It looks quite objective on paper, but I am lost in a quagmire with the rising crime. That it makes this objective looking paper on safety of the region a mere subjective one.

Col. Masangcay: I am also lost as to what you are saying can you be more specific.

Col. JB: I would like to know who the victims were, what is their occupation?

Col. Masangcay: You are referring to victimology? I am afraid I do not have data on it. Can I have my subordinate submit them? I am due to leave for GHQ tomorrow. The only thing that comes to mind, that probably we have more people at home out of job perhaps and are looking for a quick buck. These are usually people who are not used to the dynamics of the cybercommunities.

Col. JB: For now, what are your suggestions?

Col. Masangcay: Massive communication. We need to create a message of warning to the citizens and we need all of our police force to send this out to all of their friends and relatives. The social media companies will only tear down our sites and accuse it of being false or fake accounts while the culprits get away. I think with each of our individual police doing this we can beat the social media ban against law enforcement. Our number one problem is ‘The Dag Way’, of course they are not based here we are having difficulty with them.

Col. JB: RD, I have no more questions General. But may we request CCU7 to submit the victims’ current occupation, so that we here in research can look for a way to look into the victimology.

RD Mantos: I think we need to go now into the next unit, thank you for the report Col. Masangcay and congratulations on your promotion. Can you order your subordinate to submit a spreadsheet on that? But I think you are leaving; can you have them call O5 to get the details of what they need. One more thing, Major de la Cruz is being promoted to Lt. Colonel, he will be sitting in as an actual commander not an Acting OIC effective tomorrow, be sure to tell him that. I have his orders here and from GHQ on his promotion. He will receive this tomorrow including his Two Suns insignia, I think as a courtesy to his promotion as well as yours, make this a parting gift to him, I’d like you to hand a copy of this to him.

The General hands it to his secretary and in turn he hands it to Col. Masangcay.

Col. Masangcay: Thank you sir.

The command conference dragged on for four more hours, by noon Col. Masangcay leaves the command conference because his flight was around three in the afternoon. With him is a manila envelope. His former office is along the way towards the airport. He drops by.

Major de la Cruz sees his former commander, he stands up from his table and salutes him, and he salutes back.

Major de la Cruz: It is good to see you sir, you seemed to have left me with a lot of pickles to handle. I don’t know if I can handle this. I thought you have left.

Col. Masangcay: I would have, but the order for the command conference came about a week ago and the order for me to leave for GHQ came only two days ago, and I am forced to attend, because they were looking for me.

Major de la Cruz: You could’ve just left.

Col. Masangcay: Yeah, I would, but the General wanted me there, and I don’t want to anger anyone lest I lose my star tomorrow.

Major de la Cruz: ¡Ah! You're getting a promotion, you're a general now? You could have just left.

Col. Masangcay: Yeah, I don’t want to pre-empt anyone. And I guess I would not be able to hand you this.

Col. Masangcay hands him the manila envelope, Major de la Cruz opens it and reads the first paper. His eyes widened, then his brows started to draw together. The body contents read as:

That subject, Lt. Col. John de la Cruz, is hereby ordered as commander of CCU7. And will begin effectively January 18, 2021.

With a quizzical look upon the first paper, he reads the second paper, this one is from the Adjutant General GHQ, orders were that he is promoted to Lt. Colonel effective January 11, 2021.

Then he stares straight blankly opposite to him.

Col. Masangcay: The general says, think of it as my parting gift, I guess GHQ agreed with my assessment of you. Congratulations Lt. Colonel.

Major de la Cruz: Thank you sir.

Col. Masangcay: Frankly John, I didn’t make a lot of comments on you, I made it simple, I wonder why they did, the other junior officers under me back then never got the promotion. Maybe I should not use a lot of words next time. I am truly glad that it is you. Now, be so kind, and have someone drive me to the airport, I got a cab coming here and you know how taxis are.

Major de la Cruz: Sure thing sir right away. Baltazaar! Wait, hold on general.

Lt. Col de la Cruz picks up his phone and calls his secretary and starts to bark some orders.

Col. Masangcay: John, maybe you should check it out on our circulation.

Lt. Col de la Cruz: Yeah right.

And there it was in his inbox his promotion orders, and his orders for his command, which was a revision from what he has. The orders were effective immediately and signed today while on paper that he got was signed last week.

Col. Masangcay: The General says those papers were not the official one, he says the official one will be sent tomorrow. But the promotion might be official though.

Lt. Col de la Cruz: Yeah, the orders here are different, it says effective immediately.

Col. Masangcay: Congratulations commander.

Lt. Col de la Cruz: Thank you sir.

The commander’s service car arrives and they both walk outside as they bid their farewells.

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