US ban on Huawei to have little impact on Philippine telcos — DICT

MANILA, Philippines — The US government's moves against Chinese telecom giant Huawei would have little effect on the Philippine telecommunications industry, the Department of Information and Communications Technology said.

US President Donald Trump earlier issued an executive order prohibiting American firms from engaging with foreign companies believed to threaten their national security.

The DICT noted that though Trump's order did not specify blacklisted companies or persons, Huawei was affected.

"With the executive order, US companies are prevented from supplying Huawei with software and hardware components," the DICT said in a statement.

While it may affect the supply chain of Huawei, Trump's order would have little impact on the Philippines.

"The local telcos have made pronouncements that they will diversify in their present and future procurements of equipment to make their networks more robust and future proof," the statement read.

According to the DICT, local telcos have not reported any incident of a national security breach from their Huawei equipment.

The agency said it will continue to require local telcos to monitor their networks using world-class cybersecurity audit teams.

Local telcos, including the incoming third telco, were also directed to assure the government that their respective networks "will not be compromised or they may suffer losing their license to operate."

Earlier this week, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte will wait for any recommendation from the Department of National Defense and the National Security adviser on the Huawei ban.

The Chinese government, on the other hand, decried Washington's "economic bullying" against Huawei.

"Some people in the United States do not want China to enjoy the legitimate right to develop, and seek to impede its development process," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement.

"This extremely presumptuous and egocentric American approach is not able to gain the approval and support of the international community," Wang added. — Patricia Lourdes Viray