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SENATE President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto raised the alarm Thursday about the possibility of an “electronic Trojan horse” penetrating military camps if a foreign telecommunications company is allowed to operate within restricted Forces facilities. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
In a statement, Recto reminded authorities that “military camps should be prohibited areas for a possible electronic Trojan horse,” referring to Dito Telecommunity, a consortium led by Davao businessman Dennis Uy, which has an investment from the state-owned company. China Telecommunications Corp.
He noted that the Philippines has a land area of 30 million hectares, with military installations occupying a fraction of it, estimating that it may not even be a tenth of 1 percent of the total.
The senator suggested that Dito Telecommunity “can build their sites anywhere on this vast expanse of land, and the government should help them, except at 25 Navy bases and stations, 53 Army bases, and 17 air bases and stations, which they must be declared as prohibited areas for this company. “
Noting that the AFP is not a large owner whose properties are crucial to the operations of a telecommunications company, Recto wondered: “Why insist on building on military real estate?”
If health and environmental regulations permit, Dito should explore building towers on the nearly 50,000 public school and state university campuses and pay rent in cash and in kind, “the latter in free broadband for students.” Recto said.
The senator recalled that for the last 50 years, the AFP has enjoyed a more favored agency status, as stated in the annual national budget, noting that this shows that “it does not need a land leasing business to increase its budget… . Even more so if the tenant is 40 percent owned by a foreign state-owned company whose main loyalty, according to the laws of that country, is its government. “
However, he clarified that “I am not yet ready to fully subscribe to the suspicions that having them within these precincts of national security is like letting in an electronic Trojan horse. But prevention is better than cure. “
