FILE PHOTO: A woman shields herself from the sun as she walks past an office building of China Telecom, in Beijing, China August 11, 2020. Picture taken August 11, 2020. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo/File Photo
MANILA 鈥� A new Philippine telecoms firm with Chinese state investment on Thursday described as 鈥渢ruly misplaced鈥� concerns that communications equipment it will install at military camps will be used for spying.
The Philippine government last week allowed Dito Telecommunity Corp, a joint venture between state-run China Telecom and a tycoon close to President Rodrigo Duterte, to erect towers on military land for its $5.15 billion entry into the market, which includes 5G technology.
The consortium was the only qualified bidder in a 2018 license auction that followed months of Duterte saying he had offered China a spot in the Philippines鈥� telecom sector. China Telecom owns 40% of Dito.
But some lawmakers complain Dito could be a 鈥淭rojan Horse鈥� for spying, including on a military allied with the United States.
鈥淲e are not at war with China so this concern about espionage and spying I feel is truly misplaced,鈥� Adel Tamano, a top Dito official, told a news conference.
Dito鈥檚 equipment and devices are not a security risk, Tamano said, adding that it is investing heavily in cybersecurity.
No Chinese personnel will be allowed inside camps, he said, and a retired Philippine general and telecoms expert had been hired to ensure cybersecurity.
However, former Supreme Court judge Antonio Carpio, a staunch critic of Duterte鈥檚 pro-China stance, in a newspaper column on Thursday said Beijing 鈥渨ould surely eavesdrop鈥�. Opposition lawmaker Risa Hontiveros wants a senate probe on Dito鈥檚 military deal.
Like competitors Globe and PLDT, Dito also uses equipment from Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE.
DITO is 60% controlled by Duterte associate Dennis Uy, whose conglomerate Udenna is partnering in big projects with several other Chinese state firms in energy and construction.
Among those is a U.S.-blacklisted company involved in China鈥檚 building of a missile-equipped artificial South China Sea island that the Philippines sees as a national security threat. Udenna has acknowledged its Chinese partner鈥檚 involvement.