‘Chinese tech giant not a security threat to Philippines’

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is not inclined to block Chinese technology giant Huawei from its network without scientific or engineering evidence to prove it is engaged in espionage or data exfiltration, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said yesterday.

Assistant Secretary Allan Cabanlong of DICT Cybersecurity and Enabling Technologies said it does not see Huawei posing any security threat at this time.

The DICT is leaving it to the private sector to decide on the matter because it cannot block or limit the use of Huawei.

He said the DICT has not been shown evidence against Huawei by other countries.

“So if the US has evidence then they should have shared it with our country…through our intelligence channel,” Cabanlong said.

“As of now there is none, ” he added.

The US has urged its allies to exercise vigilance and secure their telecommunication networks to protect their people from unauthorized access and malicious cyber activities.

The US Department of State said the US has spoken about Huawei regularly, especially during Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s travels. 

During his visit in Manila on March 1, Pompeo warned the Philippines of risk to Filipinos and the country’s security by associating with Huawei, saying it is not “transparent.”

He said it is the task of the US to share information with the world on the risks associated with Huawei technology.

Huawei sued the US government, arguing it has been unfairly banned from operating in the US on grounds of security threats.