The Private Sector Advisory Council’s Digital Infrastructure Sector (PSAC-Digital Infra) has urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to accelerate reforms on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), fiber deployment, and rural connectivity to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and support long-term economic growth.

During the council’s 10th meeting in Malacañang, PSAC-Digital Infra welcomed the President’s signing of Executive Order (EO) No. 119, which updates the government’s data classification framework and establishes a national data residency policy.

The council said the order addresses a long-standing regulatory gap and provides cloud providers, data center operators, and technology investors with greater policy certainty while strengthening the country’s data sovereignty. It also emphasized the need to advance the country’s AI sovereignty alongside these initiatives.

To bolster cybersecurity, PSAC-Digital Infra recommended adopting a coordinated national approach to protecting the country’s critical information infrastructure, much of which is privately owned and operated.

Among its proposals is the establishment of pre-authorized emergency protocols that would allow operators to respond immediately during major disasters or large-scale cyber incidents without waiting for case-by-case government clearance.

The council also reiterated its support for the proposed Cybersecurity Act, which is currently undergoing committee consolidation in the House of Representatives, while calling for amendments to Republic Act (RA) No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, to better address evolving cyber threats while supporting innovation and the continued competitiveness of the country’s information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry.

On AI, PSAC-Digital Infra proposed a two-pronged approach: harnessing AI to strengthen cybersecurity through threat detection, incident response, fraud and scam prevention, and continuous monitoring of critical infrastructure, while ensuring AI systems themselves remain secure.

As the Philippines develops sovereign computing capacity, the council also recommended treating AI models, training datasets, and the data centers that host them as part of the country’s critical information infrastructure.

“In AI, standing still is falling behind. It is moving so fast that governance, trust, and capability-building must evolve just as quickly,” said Myla Villanueva, PSAC-Digital Infra lead and chairperson of MDI Group Holdings Inc.

Meanwhile, the council endorsed the proposed One Canal Policy, which promotes a single common-conduit system and standardized infrastructure for fiber-optic and utility deployment along national roads and public rights-of-way (ROWs).

Under the proposal, a canal would be dug once and shared by all qualified operators, reducing deployment costs and timelines, eliminating repeated road excavations, and simplifying permitting for telecommunications providers and local government units.

To accelerate digital inclusion, PSAC-Digital Infra also recommended prioritizing the interconnection of rural health units and state universities and colleges (SUCs) to the National Fiber Backbone. It said connected health facilities could expand access to telemedicine, electronic health records, and faster referrals to tertiary hospitals, while connected campuses would strengthen research, digital skills development, and AI readiness. The council added that connecting these anchor institutions would also make last-mile broadband services more commercially viable for surrounding communities.

The council likewise highlighted the importance of strengthening the resilience of the country’s submarine cable infrastructure.

During the meeting, Converge ICT Solutions Inc. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dennis Anthony Uy presented a consortium-led initiative involving Converge, Globe Telecom Inc., and PLDT Inc. to build a more resilient national subsea network with enhanced redundancy to safeguard the country’s critical digital infrastructure, improve connectivity, and support the Philippines’ long-term AI and digital economy ambitions.

“The threat landscape changes faster than any policy cycle. What we are proposing is not a fixed set of rules but a standing capability—so that when the next incident comes, and it will, the country is not starting the conversation from behind, but ahead of the problem,” Villanueva said.

PSAC-Digital Infra also expressed its appreciation to President Marcos and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda for the completion and continued advancement of key digital infrastructure initiatives, which have strengthened the country’s foundation for secure, resilient, and inclusive digital transformation.