The National Security and Telecommunications Council (NTSC), an alliance of corporate security heads from the country’s leading telecommunications companies, is widening its scope by formally engaging key government and law enforcement agencies amid rising incidents of cable theft and cyberattacks nationwide.
Comprising industry heavyweights such as PLDT Inc., Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, DITO Telecommunity, Converge ICT Solutions, and ABS-CBN/Sky Cable, the NTSC was established in 2021 to synchronize security efforts and protect critical telecom infrastructure. With the threat landscape growing increasingly complex, the council now aims to onboard public-sector partners including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
“The task before us is not just technical—it is strategic and national in scope,” said Anastacio R. Martirez, chief operating officer of Smart Communications, during a recent NTSC consultation forum attended by law enforcement and military officials. “We need to move from isolated reactions to coordinated responses.”
According to Col. Wilfredo F. Gonio (Ret), head of security central command at PLDT, the NTSC is developing a comprehensive threat coordination framework to guide engagement with its prospective government partners. This will include joint emergency response protocols, regular security consultations, intelligence sharing mechanisms, and inter-agency cybersecurity training initiatives.
PLDT COO Butch G. Jimenez underscored the broader economic and national importance of telecom infrastructure security. “More than just a corporate responsibility, network security is a cornerstone of nation-building,” Jimenez said. “We are committed to working hand in hand with government partners to safeguard the country’s digital backbone.”
The initiative also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, which advocates for resilient infrastructure and innovation through sustainable, secure, and inclusive partnerships. NTSC leaders emphasize that improved coordination is essential to ensuring service reliability for homes, businesses, education, and emergency response.
With the integration of public agencies, the NTSC hopes to transform the telecom sector’s fragmented security response into a unified national defense mechanism for digital infrastructure—an increasingly vital component of economic stability and public safety.
