The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said on Wednesday that they do not see any national security threat with the passing of the law granting 100% foreign ownership of public services such as telecommunications.
In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, DICT Acting Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Caintic explained that despite telecommunications being reclassified as public services under the recently signed law amending the Public Service Act, they are still subject to existing laws and will undergo cybersecurity checks through DICT’s Cybersecurity Bureau and third-party audits.
“Wala naman tayong nakikitang magiging problema dahil mapapasalaob pa rin sila ng mga existing laws. Sisiguraduhin natin na may regular na cybersecurity checks at tsaka susunod pa rin sila sa mga alituntunin bilang mga telco companies. ‘Yung pagmamay-ari naman, hindi ibig sabihin na hindi na sila susunod sa ating mga patakaran at mga alituntunin na ito,” he said.
(We don’t see any problem because they will still be under the existing laws. We will make sure that there are regular cyber security checks and that they still follow the guidelines for telco companies. It also doesn’t mean that they would no longer follow our rules and regulations despite them having 100% ownership.)
Telecommunications and other public services such as railways, airlines, and logistical facilities were previously classified as public utilities. Under the 1987 Constitution, foreigners may only own up to 40% of public utilities.
“Ang kagandahan po dito sa mga amendments na ito, ang telco kasi medyo high capital investment na industry kung kaya kailangan ng magandang foreign direct investments para dito parang sa gano’n ay gumanda ang ating serbisyo, mas gaganda ang internet service sa ating bansa, at lumaganap pa ‘yung pag-latag ng mga fibers, ng mga towers at sa gano’n ay gumanda ang signal ng ating mobile services,” Caintic said.
(Since telco is a relatively high capital investment industry, we need good foreign direct investments for it so we could improve our services through better internet and establishment of more fibers and towers to improve the signal of our mobile services.)
He added that there are several foreign companies that already showed interest in owning 100% of telcos in the Philippines as the country has good market and mobile penetration, and has some 25 million households with no internet connection still.
He also pointed out that with better internet connection, employees could now opt to continue working from home and students from all parts of the country can have access to the same educational materials.
Further asked how the DICT could ensure the safety and security of the Filipinos with this new law, Caintic said that he sees the passing of the SIM Card Registration bill as among the solutions.
“Isa sa ating minamadali bago matapos ang termino ni Presidente Duterte ang ‘yung tinatawag nating SIM Registration Bill. Malaking bagay ito tulad ng mga 150 other countries, meron na silang SIM Registration Bill, kung saan mababawasan natin itong mga hacking at phishing sa pamamagitan ng maayos at safe na pag-register ng mga SIM cards para malaman natin at matukoy natin kaagad kung sino ang mga tao o mga grupo na gumagawa ng kalokohan at kriminal na aktibidad,” he added.
(One of the things we are rushing before the end of President Duterte’s term is the SIM Registration Bill. Just like about 150 other countries that have the same bill, we can reduce these hacking and phishing by properly and safely registering SIM cards so that we can know and determine immediately who are the people or groups who commit criminal activities.)
In February, the Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the measure requiring the registration of mobile phone subscriber identity module cards or SIMs.
The measure mandates all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) to require the registration of SIM cards as a prerequisite to their sale and activation.
It also provides that all social media networks should require the real name and phone number of users upon the creation of their accounts. —KG, GMA News
DICT says no national security issue seen in 100% foreign ownership of telcos
Source: News Panda Philippines
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