The selection of military camps where the cell sites of Dito Telecommunity are going to be built will undergo a laborious procedure to ensure that it will not compromise the country's national security, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Sunday.
Major General Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said Dito Telecommunity has yet to submit their proposal on which military camps will be used for the co-location of their cell sites.
"No number yet of cell sites to be put up or in which camps. Dito Telecommunity, Inc. has yet to submit their proposal for the AFP to vet and concur upon," he said.
Last week, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that he has signed the 2019 memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the AFP and Dito Telecommunity for the building of cell sites in military camps.
"The intent of the MOA to allow Dito to co-locate their facilities in AFP camps is necessarily subject to situations and limitations unique in every military installation," Arevalo explained.
"Therefore, notwithstanding the letter and intent of the MOA, there is a tedious process that is required —and the AFP’s concurrence, as the host, will have to be secured first," he stated.
Lawmakers earlier expressed concern on the plan to establish Dito cell sites in military camps, citing potential threat to national security.
Dito Telecommunity is 40 percent owned by China Telecom, a firm owned by the Chinese government.
However, the AFP spokesperson earlier assured that safeguards were put in place to prevent espionage from happening once Dito's cell sites are finally built in military camps.