DITO taps retired colonel to head cybersecurity; hires 8 more ex-AFP officers

Telecommunications duopoly challenger DITO Telecommunity Corp.  has tapped former officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to be part of its teams in a bid to ensure its network will not be used to threaten national security amid fears of spying by Beijing due to its Chinese state-owned partner.

In a virtual press briefing, DITO chief technology officer Rodolfo Santiago disclosed that there are a “minimum of nine” retired military officers hired by the telco, including him a former major general.

Santiago confirmed that DITO is still recruiting some former military men to join the company.

The DITO chief tech officer also disclosed that the telco hired retired Col. Roleen del Prado, a cybersecurity expert, to head the firm’s cybersecurity team.

“I need an expert. Magaling ang na-recruit, nakasama ko sa AFP. I know his reputation and expertise,” he said.

“Second, kasama sa commitment na we have to ensure that our network will not be utilized to threaten national security. Ano ba magandang gawin? Magaling na galing pa sa AFP na I’m sure he will not compromise national security,” he added.

Santiago said Del Prado is involved in conceptualization and requirement determination and design of DITO’s cybersecurity system.

For his part, DITO chief administrative officer Adel Tamano said the firm also hired retired Col. Romy Basco to the head of “physical security.”

“Under him [Basco] are six regional officers and staff so I have seven people from the Armed Forces of the Philippines working for my team,” Tamano said.

DITO had earlier said it would spend P1 billion for its cybersecurity initiatives amid concerns of espionage in relation to its co-location of cell sites with the AFP.

The company also said it had tapped US cybersecurity firms for its planned cybersecurity center.

“If you’re going to scan the local cybersecurity industry, this is true even in other countries, those that have been with the armed forces are the best persons to be utilized for very, very critical cybersecurity requirements,” Santiago said.

DITO, formerly Mislatel Consortium, was awarded a permit to operate as the third telecommunications player of the country in July last year.

The consortium is made up of Davao businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corporation, Udenna's subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Holdings Inc., and Chinese state-owned China Telecommunications Corporation.

Tamano said the telco has so far constructed 1,900 towers, which are more than enough to achieve the mandated goal of 37% of population coverage and 27 Mbps internet speed by January 2021.

DITO Telecommunity is expected to roll out commercial services in March 2021.—AOL, GMA News