Group raises alarm over provisions of Konektadong Pinoy bill

A consumer group has raised alarm over the provisions of Senate Bill No. 2699 or Konetakdong Pinoy, saying there are no safeguards to guarantee that the country will be free from security threats.

While it recognizes the need for the country to be widely connected, Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente (BK3) convenor Atty. Karry Sison said the national security must also be prioritized.

"Ngunit sa ating matinding pangangailangan ng mas maayos na koneksyon, tila hindi natin napagtutuunan ng pansin ang malaking banta sa ating seguridad," Sison said in a statement.

"Sa kasalukuyang anyo ng panukalang ito, walang matibay na pananggalang upang masigurong ligtas at lehitimo ang mga papasok na telco providers. Walang garantiya na hindi sila may kaugnayan sa mga grupong may masamang hangarin laban sa ating bansa o sa ating mga ordinaryong mamimili," she added.

On February 5, the Senate passed on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 2699, which seeks to make it easier for service providers to enter the market, fostering competition, and offering consumers a greater number and more affordable options for internet services.

Sison has expressed strong concerns regarding the potential risks posed by allowing any service provider to enter the country without sufficient regulatory oversight.

"Kung walang sapat na proteksyon, magiging madali para sa mga mapagsamantalang grupo na dayain, nakawan, o manipulahin ang mga gumagamit ng internet, lalo na ang mga hindi pamilyar sa mga panganib ng online transactions."

The BK3 convenor emphasized that sufficient protection must be in place to prevent potential risks before the law is enacted.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) earlier said only data transmission providers are allowed not to seek a congressional franchise to operate under the proposed Konektadong Pinoy Act.

DICT Director Maria Victoria Castro said the proposal does not apply to full-service telcos.

''Kung mag ooperate kayo na parang telco meaning mayroon pong voice yun po yung kailangan ng franchise pero 'pag data po siya di na po kailangan na magrequire ng franchise,'' she said during a forum in Taguig City organized by the Philippine Information Communications Technology Organization (PICTO) last week.

(If you have voice operations like telcos, then you need a franchise. If it's data, you are not required to get a franchise.)

However, telco groups have expressed reservations about the bill. They claimed that they were not consulted in its drafting and argued that removing franchise requirements raises security issues.

They also believe that the penalties for data transmission providers that fail to meet the minimum performance requirements—which range from P5,000 to P2 million per day—are excessive.

"Sa Bill of Rights natin sa Constitution yung excessive fines pinagbabawal 'yon dapat di ganun kalaki,'' said PICTO legal counsel Atty. Stanley Cabrera IV. ''Ubos din kaming maliliit.''

The Philippine Association of Private Telecommunications Companies (PAPTELCO) has expressed concern over the impending enactment of Konektadong Pinoy.  

PAPTELCO president Atty. Normandy Baldovino Jr. said that the “uneven regulatory playing field” proposed by Senate Bill 2699 or Konektadong Pinoy Act that allows entry of foreign telco players in the Philippines will be detrimental for small Filipino-owned telco companies.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News