A consumer advocacy group urged Congress to suspend the deliberations on pending data rollover bills to allow wider consultations as it warned that poorly calibrated rules could disrupt the country’s promo-driven mobile data market and reduce affordable prepaid options.

The CitizenWatch Philippines is pushing for the measures allowing consumers to carry over unused internet data and its lead convenor Orlando Oxales explained that preventing the loss of paid data is an important consumer protection in a digital economy where connectivity is essential for work, education, and access to public services.

“Consumers should not lose paid internet data simply because of arbitrary expiration rules. That objective is valid and necessary,” said Oxales.

“Broader consultations among lawmakers, regulators, consumer groups, and telecommunications providers are needed to ensure that the policy is workable and aligned with the realities of the Philippine mobile market,” he added.

Oxales noted that the Philippine mobile data market is largely driven by short-term promotional bundles that frequently change, particularly in the prepaid segment, rather than fixed monthly data plans.

“It is easy to see how rollover features work with fixed monthly plans that have defined data allocations. The real question is how this will work in a market dominated by short-term promotional bundles,” he said.

The group warned that applying rollover rules designed for stable subscription plans to a promo-driven market without careful calibration could produce unintended consequences.

These, it said, may include the reduction of low-denomination prepaid options, increased complexity in promo offerings, and a shift by providers toward fewer but higher-priced plans.

CitizenWatch also pointed to emerging security concerns linked to the misuse of prepaid promos.

For instabce, global risk information provider TransUnion reported in 2025 that the Philippines has been a consistent hotspot for scams in recent years. Its data showed a suspected digital fraud rate of 13% in 2024—more than double the global average of 5%.

The report also found that 74% of Filipinos are more likely to be targeted by fraud attempts compared with the global average of 53%, while 34% of Filipinos fall victim to scams, higher than the global average of 29%.

According to CitizenWatch, scam operations often rely on low-cost, short-duration prepaid promos—such as unlimited SMS or data packages—to run messaging campaigns cheaply. Extending the usable life of such promos through rollover mechanisms could unintentionally lower operating costs for scammers and increase the scale of fraudulent outreach.

CitizenWatch also noted how rollover systems operate with clear guardrails. For example, some mobile operators in the United States offer rollover features under defined monthly plans, allowing unused data to be carried over only for a limited period—typically one additional billing cycle—and requiring subscribers to remain on eligible plans for rollover data to apply.

“These limits help preserve affordability, prevent pricing distortions, and maintain product diversity,” Oxales said.

CitizenWatch said a pause in legislative deliberations would allow policymakers to refine key design elements of the proposed policy, including the treatment of short-term promos, rollover duration and limits, renewal conditions, and proportional enforcement.

“Getting the policy right is more important than getting it fast,” Oxales said. “If we take the time to refine the rules, we can protect consumers today without undermining affordability, access, and innovation in the future.”