PLDT girds for legal battle over Konektadong Pinoy bill

GMA Network

a day ago

The Philippines' largest integrated telecommunications company PLDT Inc. is preparing for a legal showdown should President Ferdinand Marcos "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. sign the Konektadong Pinoy bill into law.
"We are hoping that it will not be signed into law by the President, but if it is signed into law then we may have to go to courts and raise the issue of the constitutionality," PLDT senior vice president, senior legal advisor to the chairman, and corporate secretary Marilyn Victorio-Aquino told reporters at the sidelines of the telco's first half 2025 financial results in Makati City on Tuesday.
Under the proposed measure, new data transmission players are no longer required to secure a legislative franchise or Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN).
The measure, however, has faced criticisms from some groups, including the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO), composed of the country's leading telcos, and the Philippine Association of Private Telecommunications Companies (PAPTELCO).
The PCTO had called for a review of the ratified version of the measure, citing national security concerns and weakening of regulatory oversight among new entrants in the country's connectivity service sector.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), for its part, defended the bill, saying it would never allow deregulation at the expense of security or public interest.
Further, the DICT assured that the measure would not weaken the role of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
"Data transmission providers are given so [many] benefits, which are not being given to other telcos. Here they're requiring us to open all our assets—all our assets to data transmission providers without foundation that it must be essential," Victorio-Aquino said.
"Data transmission providers can access our assets without any cybersecurity clearance, you create as many cybersecurity threats for us and for our subscribers. So we will have our own challenge, both Smart and PLDT, because we are affected in different ways," she said.
The bill is now awaiting the signature of the President for it to become a law. It will also lapse into law on August 24, 2025 if the President will not act on it.
"We were requested by the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Legal Affairs of Malacañang to comment on the bill and we sent our comment. We raised this issue of constitutionality and our position that the President should veto the bill," Aquino said.
Study, reform
In a separate statement, Globe Telecom urged Marcos to return the Konektadong Pinoy bill to Congress for further refinement, ensuring it fully delivers on its transformative objectives.
The Ayala-led telco said that while the bill's core intent is to make internet access more affordable and universally available for all, this vision can only be achieved with a level playing field across the telecommunications industry.
"We are advocating for universal access to affordable and reliable internet. But we believe this bill needs further study and reform. We hope the President understands the concerns raised by many in the industry, including respected voices and notable personalities," said Froilan Castelo, general counsel at Globe.
"Our key concerns include regulatory imbalance, uneven competition, and the lack of transparency and oversight for new players,' said Castelo. — VDV, GMA Integrated News