Anti-virus centre hope for Philippines

The Philippines should become a key centre for developing anti-virus software, according to President Joseph Estrada.

The president is hoping to capitalise on the sudden notoriety the country gained when it was pinpointed as the birthplace of the Love Bug computer virus.

Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas told government radio: "We can specialise in protecting computer systems from the viruses."

The "ILOVEYOU" virus disabled e-mail systems all over the world resulting in losses estimated at up to $10bn (£6.6bn).

Global spotlight

The release of the virus has thrust a global spotlight on a young but thriving computer culture in the Philippines, which still remains a poor and largely technologically backward nation.

"Our software developers are very good," Mr Roxas said. "We are not proud of what the virus author did, but we must harness their creativity."

An investigation into the virus has focused on four people identified by national police as "possible suspects", three of whom lived in a Manila apartment where the phone line appears to have been used to release the virus on 4 May.

We are not proud of what the virus author did, but we must harness their creativity

Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas

A young computer student who lived there, Onel de Guzman, has publicly acknowledged he may have accidentally sent out the virus, although he would not say whether he wrote the program.

The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation says it wants to find out whether the release of the virus was accidental or intentional.

Officials have acknowledged that bringing any criminal case could be tricky because the Philippines has no laws that prohibit cyber crimes.