The Philippine Association of Private Telecommunications Companies (PAPTELCO), an organization of independent telecom companies serving remote provinces, has joined the call of the Philippine Cable and Telecommunications Operators (PCTO) for a review of the Konektadong Pinoybill due to provisions that could pose national security risks if enacted into law.
“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,” lawyer Normandy Baldovino Jr., PAPTELCO president, said in a statement on Sunday, April 27.
PAPTELCO echoed the concerns of the PCTO regarding potential national security problems that the Konektadong Pinoy bill could cause.
On April 7, PCTO called out provisions in the Konektadong Pinoy bill, which it said would be detrimental to both the Philippine’s national security and Filipino consumers, specifically the following: 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 cyber-secure prior to operating in the Philippines.
Baldovino stressed that 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 operations (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 the start of operations, to have cyber-security in place despite the high incidence of hacking in the Philippines.
The Konektadong Pinoy bill is a priority measure by the current Marcos administration, which 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 this year.
