Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, May 25, warned that amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA), which would allow 100 percent foreign ownership of public utilities, could pave the way for China to own critical infrastructure in the Philippines. China, Hontiveros said, could use this as leverage
President Rodrigo Duterte has fervently wanted to give the country s two-player telecoms industry a shake-up.
The combination of Smart and Globe has been called one of the world s most durable duopolies. Duterte, known as a populist, threatened the country s telecoms sector with privatizations in his last state of the union address.
Then there were three: Filipino operators Smart and Globe now have a new, China-backed, sister to contend with.
And just to subtly underscore the point, Dito launched its mobile services first in Cebu and Davao – the president s home region.
Duterte, soon after coming into power in 2016, announced the country s separation from the US, and closer ties with China.
China-backed Dito Telecommunity Corp. has hired at least nine former military officials, including a retired colonel, in a move to allay lingering fears that the government-chosen third telecommunications player would be used by Beijing to spy on the country.
During a virtual briefing on Thursday, Dito Chief Technology Officer Rodolfo Santiago, himself an ex-general, said hiring retired army men could ease critics’ fears.
He also insisted that ensuring his company’s network would not be used to compromise the country’s security was part of Dito’s commitment to the government.
Santiago also defended the hiring, telling reporters that “if you’re going to scan the local cybersecurity industry, [it’s] true, even in other countries, [that] those that have been with the Armed Forces are the best persons to be utilized for very critical cybersecurity requirements.”