The Philippine Association of Private Telecommunications Companies (PAPTELCO), an organization of independent telecommunications companies providing connectivity in farflung provinces, warned the government that the national security risk from the Konektadong Pinoy bill (Senate Bill 2699)is a real concern.
“This is not just a concern of the large telecommunications players that own the cable landing stations and international gateway facilities, but also small telecommunication companies like us. The country’s national security is everyone’s concern,” PAPTELCO president Normandy Baldovino Jr. said.
In the Coffee and Connections event of the Philippine Information & Communications Technology Organization held last April 7, the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO) called out certain provisions in the Konektadong Pinoy bill that will be detrimental to both the Philippine’s national security and Filipino consumers, specifically the removal of the requirement for a Congressional franchise for new telecommunications players entering the Philippines, the watering down of the regulatory duties of the National Telecommunications Commission to an administrative one, the lack of vetting of new telecommunications players, and the lack of a requirement for new telecommunications players to be cybersecure prior to operating in the Philippines.
Baldovino believes these shortcomings should be addressed in the bill and not just in the implementing rules and regulations.
“We can’t sacrifice the country’s national security. While the Konektadong Pinoy bill has good intentions, it may have adverse effects down the road similar to when the government legalized Philippine Offshore Gaming Corporations (POGO). We have to correct the bill itself to ensure there is nothing lost when it comes to the implementing rules and regulations,” he said.
Under the bill, foreign-controlled companies are allowed to control critical information infrastructure (CII) essential for national security, without any financial, technical or legal checking.
New players are also allowed a grace period of one to three years after start of operations to have cyber security in place. This despite the high incidence of hacking in the Philippines.
The Konektadong Pinoy bill is a priority measure by the current administration that aims to expand internet access in the country by easing the entry of new players in the data transmission industry.
The Konektadong Pinoy Act was passed by the Senate on third and final reading last February 7, 2025, right before Congress went into recess and is slated for the bicameral conference committee once Congress resumes sessions in June.*PR