The country’s major telecommunications companies and government forces are moving to form a more unified front to address rising cyber and physical threats targeting critical infrastructure.
The National Telecommunications Security Council (NTSC), an alliance of corporate security professionals representing the country’s telcos, is seeking to formalize its transformation into a national defense body by bringing in government and law enforcement agencies.
Among the agencies eyed to join the expanded council are the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
The NTSC currently includes PLDT Inc., Smart Communications Inc., Globe, DITO Telecommunity, Converge ICT Solutions, ABS-CBN/Sky Cable, tower companies, and other stakeholders. In a recent consultation forum, council members met with officials from the police and military to explore joint efforts for better law enforcement and emergency response.
“The task before us is not just technical, it is strategic and national in scope. We need to move from isolated reactions to coordinated responses, from reactive risk management to proactive intelligence-sharing and policy alignment,” said Anastacio Martirez, COO of Smart.
“In addition to the expansion of the council’s membership, we at the NTSC are also eyeing the development of a coordination framework for threat response with our partners in government,” said Col. Gonio of PLDT .
He added that they will also establish regular consultation schedules for improved information sharing, enhanced security measures for critical infrastructure, and better rapid response protocols, especially in the event of emergencies.
The NTSC was formed in June 2021 by the PLDT Asset Protection and Security Risk Governance (APSRG) team to help protect telecom infrastructure nationwide.
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