By Newsbytes.PH, April 4, 2025
On March 28 at the University of the Philippines (UP) Law Center, leaders from government, business, ICT industry, civil society, and consumer groups converged to call on Congress to act on the Konektadong Pinoy (Open Access in Data Transmission) Bill when session resumes on June 2.
The call was made at a policy conference, titled “Konektadong Pinoy: A Pro-Filipino, Pro-Consumer, Pro-Competition Connectivity Law.”
The event was co-presented by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) and co-organized by Better Internet PH, the Internet Society, and the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia, in partnership with the UP Institute of Government and Law Reform (IGLR).
Already certified as urgent by Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. last January 27, the Konektadong Pinoy bill is now awaiting the convening of the bicameral conference committee.
Supporters emphasized that with strong momentum and broad multi-sectoral backing, this long-awaited reform is within reach and should not be delayed any further.
In his address as the conference’s guest of honor, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, one of the main authors and co-sponsors of the bill, framed Internet connectivity as a fundamental right that has long been denied to millions of Filipinos.
He described the Konektadong Pinoy Bill as a landmark measure essential to modernizing the country’s digital infrastructure and enabling meaningful access for all.
Emphasizing its threefold focus, Gatchalian characterized the bill as “pro-Filipino” for mandating infrastructure sharing to reach underserved barangays, “pro-consumer” for strengthening protections and ensuring service quality, and “pro-competition” for enabling new players to enter and challenge market dominance.
Gatchalian said the bill would help bring connectivity to approximately 19,000 unserved barangays and drive digital transformation across key sectors, including education, governance, and healthcare.
Speakers from various institutions expressed confidence that the bill introduces clarity, fairness, and inclusiveness to a sector still constrained by outdated rules and monopolistic tendencies.
DICT director Maria Victoria Castro noted the bill’s timeliness, particularly as the country marks 31 years of Internet connectivity. She emphasized that lifting the legislative franchise requirements and introducing spectrum management reform would dramatically improve the country’s broadband infrastructure.
With over 7,000 geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) still lacking access, Castro said the bill would encourage more data transmission providers to enter the market with fewer barriers. She explained that this modern framework allows more providers — especially in geographically isolated areas — to finally enter and compete.
For the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), telecommunications is a priority sector due to the market’s concentrated structure.
PCC executive director Kenneth Tanate said the bill promotes a fair and competitive environment by facilitating infrastructure sharing, efficient spectrum use, and transparent interconnection policies.
He welcomed the bill’s explicit alignment with the Philippine Competition Act, calling it a significant step toward leveling the playing field and enhancing consumer welfare.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through Financial Inclusion Office director Mynard Bryan Mojica, highlighted the link between improved connectivity and financial inclusion.
He explained that while the BSP is not directly involved in matters related to Internet infrastructure, it strongly supports reforms that can help Filipinos access digital financial services.
Citing BSP’s digital finance initiatives, Mojica pointed out that weak or absent connectivity remains a top barrier for market vendors and rural households. Digital innovations like e-payments and online banking will not reach the poorest households unless Internet access is “stable, affordable, and widely available,” he said.
Elpidio Paras of the Philippine Cable and Telecommunications Association (PCTA) welcomed the reform as an equalizer. Representing small cable operators that have long struggled with high bandwidth costs and limited infrastructure access, he said the bill would finally allow them to compete fairly and deliver connectivity to the countryside.
“This will allow us to finally compete on equal terms,” he said. “We’ve been filling connectivity gaps in rural areas for years but with limited support. Now, we can scale and sustain that effort.”
For regional communities, the bill represents an opportunity for digital transformation outside major urban centers.
Michael Tiu Lim of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) said, “Access to fast, reliable, and affordable Internet is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity for economic and social progress.”
He added that the bill will empower local governments and ICT councils to drive innovation and attract investment.
From the foreign business community, Katie Stuntz of the Joint Foreign Chambers reiterated the group’s longstanding support for the measure.
She noted that outdated regulatory structures have held the Philippines back in key Internet performance metrics compared to Asean neighbors. She said the bill introduces a modern Internet policy framework essential for attracting foreign direct investment, supporting emerging technologies like AI, and preparing the Filipino workforce for a digital future.
Community voices also resonated during the conference. Melanie Cervantes of the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilya ng Pantawid (SNPP) spoke about the deep frustrations faced by poor families in staying connected.
Reflecting on the height of the pandemic, she shared how many parents were left helpless as their children struggled with remote learning due to the lack of Internet access at home.
“We are in the AI generation — but still disconnected,” she said. “Masakit para sa amin na hindi namin maibigay yung kailangan ng anak namin para sa pag-aaral nila. Hindi dahil tamad kami kundi dahil walang koneksyon (It’s painful for us that we can’t give what our children need for their schooling, not because we are lazy but because there’s no connectivity.)”
She emphasized that for many Filipino families, digital exclusion is not a choice but a consequence of structural barriers.
Gomer Padong of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) highlighted the bill’s alignment with community-centered connectivity initiatives.
He said that Konektadong Pinoy will lower deployment costs for community networks and improve resilience by mandating uninterrupted service during emergencies.
“This law empowers social enterprises and helps deliver essential digital public services in times of crisis,” he added.
Closing the event, Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos, lead advocate of Better Internet PH, urged Congress to act without delay, emphasizing that the momentum behind the bill is broad and grounded in years of stakeholder engagement.
“Konektadong Pinoy enjoys huge and wide support from so many stakeholders and sectors,” she said. “That’s because it has real potential to disrupt the status quo; that’s also why some fear it.”
She called on lawmakers to affirm this collective push for change by ratifying the bill upon session resumption.
With the bicameral deliberations on the horizon, the message from stakeholders is clear and resounding: Now is the time to act.
“We cannot afford another decade of slow, expensive, and unreliable connectivity. The time for action is now,” Gatchalian concluded in his speech. “The future is digital. The future is Konektadong Pinoy.”