AFP chief downplays spying concerns over partnership with Mislatel
By CJ Juntereal
Published Sep 12, 2019 04:22 pm
By Aaron Recuenco
Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), has downplayed concerns of espionage amid the military’s agreement with Mislatel to build its communications facilities in military camps and installations despite the telecom’s alleged ties with China.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (MANILA BULLETIN)
Madrigal said that the agreement that the AFP made with Mislatel is the same agreement which they have with two other telecom giants in the Philippines –Smart Communications and Globe Telecom.
“We have been partnering of course with Globe, with Smart. This is the same partnership that we are doing with Mislatel who had been given or won (to operate the) third telco,” said Madrigal.
“We will give the same services that we have been giving to other companies,” he added.
Mislatel stands for Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company. It is a consortium composed of Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Udenna Corp, and China Telecom.
The Philippines is locked in a territorial dispute with China and other Southeast Asia countries in the West Philippine Sea. The Duterte administration is being criticized for its alleged soft stand with China amid tension between Filipino fishermen and Chinese Coast Guard and military in the West Philippine Sea.
Mislatel was conferred the status of New Major Player in the telecommunications industry by the National Telecommunications Commission on November 19 last year.
Based on the Memorandum of Agreement between the AFP and the Mislatel, the military will determine specific locations with its rental value for use of Mislatel in the installation and management of its communications sites.
On the other hand, it is Mislatel which will shoulder all the expenses and equipment necessary to effect the co-location of its facilities. The expenses include payment of all taxes, permits, licenses, and other charges.
“Payment will be made by providing CEIS equipment, upgrade, services, and training to the AFP equivalent to the monetary value of the lease subject to inflation,” an AFP press statement read.
Recently, security experts, including AFP and Department of National Defense (DND) insiders, raised the espionage issue over the locations of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) which happens to be near some military camps.
POGOs are known to be operated by Chinese businessmen, and have reportedly more than 200,000 Chinese employees.
The same concerns were raised over AFP and Mislatel’s memorandum of agreement with regard to the communication needs of the Philippine military.
But Madrigal assured that they have been exercising utmost security even with their partnership with other telecom companies.
On the part of Mislatel, it assured that it will not engage in any spying activities.
“Mislatel also ‘guarantees that the devices, equipment, and/or structures installed at the site provided by the AFP shall not be used to obtain classified information’ as a measure to prevent electronic espionage,” the AFP press statement read.
"We at Dito Telecommunity are truly grateful to the AFP for this partnership. The roll-out of Dito's towers is indeed one herculean feat. With this partnership with the AFP, we are nearer our goal of building a wide and robust network," said Dito's President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Uy during the signing of the agreement.
For his part, Madrigal said they are more focused on the benefits that would be given by their partnerships with telecom companies to the AFP.
"Our MOA with other telcos significantly improved the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) infrastructure of the AFP and we are optimistic that this opportunity will also bring great benefits to the armed forces," said Madrigal.
The MOA was signed on Wednesday at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City by Maj. Gen. Adrian Sanchez Jr, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, Electronics, and Information Systems (CEIS), J6; and lawyer Adel Tamano, Chief Administrative Officer of Mislatel.
The MOA was subsequently endorsed by Madrigal as AFP Chief of Staff for the approval of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (MANILA BULLETIN)
Madrigal said that the agreement that the AFP made with Mislatel is the same agreement which they have with two other telecom giants in the Philippines –Smart Communications and Globe Telecom.
“We have been partnering of course with Globe, with Smart. This is the same partnership that we are doing with Mislatel who had been given or won (to operate the) third telco,” said Madrigal.
“We will give the same services that we have been giving to other companies,” he added.
Mislatel stands for Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company. It is a consortium composed of Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Udenna Corp, and China Telecom.
The Philippines is locked in a territorial dispute with China and other Southeast Asia countries in the West Philippine Sea. The Duterte administration is being criticized for its alleged soft stand with China amid tension between Filipino fishermen and Chinese Coast Guard and military in the West Philippine Sea.
Mislatel was conferred the status of New Major Player in the telecommunications industry by the National Telecommunications Commission on November 19 last year.
Based on the Memorandum of Agreement between the AFP and the Mislatel, the military will determine specific locations with its rental value for use of Mislatel in the installation and management of its communications sites.
On the other hand, it is Mislatel which will shoulder all the expenses and equipment necessary to effect the co-location of its facilities. The expenses include payment of all taxes, permits, licenses, and other charges.
“Payment will be made by providing CEIS equipment, upgrade, services, and training to the AFP equivalent to the monetary value of the lease subject to inflation,” an AFP press statement read.
Recently, security experts, including AFP and Department of National Defense (DND) insiders, raised the espionage issue over the locations of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) which happens to be near some military camps.
POGOs are known to be operated by Chinese businessmen, and have reportedly more than 200,000 Chinese employees.
The same concerns were raised over AFP and Mislatel’s memorandum of agreement with regard to the communication needs of the Philippine military.
But Madrigal assured that they have been exercising utmost security even with their partnership with other telecom companies.
On the part of Mislatel, it assured that it will not engage in any spying activities.
“Mislatel also ‘guarantees that the devices, equipment, and/or structures installed at the site provided by the AFP shall not be used to obtain classified information’ as a measure to prevent electronic espionage,” the AFP press statement read.
"We at Dito Telecommunity are truly grateful to the AFP for this partnership. The roll-out of Dito's towers is indeed one herculean feat. With this partnership with the AFP, we are nearer our goal of building a wide and robust network," said Dito's President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Uy during the signing of the agreement.
For his part, Madrigal said they are more focused on the benefits that would be given by their partnerships with telecom companies to the AFP.
"Our MOA with other telcos significantly improved the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) infrastructure of the AFP and we are optimistic that this opportunity will also bring great benefits to the armed forces," said Madrigal.
The MOA was signed on Wednesday at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City by Maj. Gen. Adrian Sanchez Jr, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, Electronics, and Information Systems (CEIS), J6; and lawyer Adel Tamano, Chief Administrative Officer of Mislatel.
The MOA was subsequently endorsed by Madrigal as AFP Chief of Staff for the approval of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.