Government urged to tighten IRR of Konektadong Pinoy Act

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s largest telcos are pushing for the establishment of tighter implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the Konektadong Pinoy Act to prevent security risks and promote industry competition.

In a statement, the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO) has urged President Marcos to look into its concerns in the ratified version of the Konetakdong Pinoy Act.

“The PCTO urges the administration to closely review the measure before signing and to ensure that its implementing rules establish clear, enforceable guardrails – ones that promote real digital inclusion, ensure national security and preserve a fair and future-ready industry,” PCTO said.

In particular, PCTO president Froilan Castelo said the measure removes the requirement for new data transmission players to secure a legislative franchise to operate in the Philippines. He views this provision as a loophole that may allow the entry of low-quality telcos.

“This creates a two-tier system, [wherein] existing players remain subject to full regulation, while new entrants operate with fewer checks. That’s a national security concern and a fairness issue,” Castelo said.

Apart from this, Castelo scored the proposal’s exemption for satellite direct access services from registering with regulators, particularly the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Castelo said such a clause contrasts the principle of the measure to promote technology neutrality so Filipinos would have more infrastructure options when connecting to the internet.

Satellite operators, the most popular of which is Starlink, offer the most viable internet service to remote islands by deploying units into space that can beam bandwidth onto the ground.

“You cannot claim to be technology-neutral and at the same time give one technology free pass. The provision requiring the satellite services to apply for NTC spectrum use was removed in the final version, and that opens a dangerous backdoor,” Castelo warned.

Likewise, Castelo reiterated a previous concern giving new providers a two-year window before they are mandated to comply with cybersecurity standards. He said this is unacceptable at a time when public and private agencies are exposed to security risks.

For PCTO, Castelo said the Konektadong Pinoy Act should have required new players to focus their operations in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

The Konektadong Pinoy Act, a priority legislation of the Marcos administration, aims to remove barriers for entry in the telco industry to attract new providers to enter the Philippines.