MALACAÑANG said Tuesday that the Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Security Adviser (NSA) are currently looking into the United States’ warnings on the use of Huawei phones and telecommunications equipment.
“I suppose the Department of National Defense as well as the National Security Adviser are studying that matter. And the President will be waiting for whatever recommendation they have on that,” the President’s Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a briefing at the Palace Tuesday when asked to comment on US warnings about technology from Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
The US government included the Chinese tech firm in its trade blacklist last week. The Alphabet, Inc’s Google also announced recently that it would withdraw Huawei’s license to use its Android operating system.
Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro of the National Privacy Commission (NPC) told reporters in a chance interview: “My impression is China is also concerned about these allegations against their companies operating in their jurisdiction… [on] the technical issues, there will have to be looked into. I think we have the technical capabilities and scientists. We could take the direction of other jurisdictions that have put up technology laboratories to look into technology offers coming from offshore.”
When asked what measures are being taken regarding the security risk allegations against Huawei, he said: “Sa ngayon wala pa. (Nothing yet) But (the issue) is right up our alley. Hindi lang ako kaagad makapag look into it (I haven’t looked at it), but we have data security technology standards (to evaluate them against).”
“Pinatitignan ko (I am ordering to look into the matter) our (NPC Complaints and Investigations Division) headed by (Francis Euston R. Acero),” he added, saying that the NPC will take direction from the findings of other jurisdictions.
In a briefing, he said: “We are not the gatekeeper of technologies neither are we the gatekeeper of what can and cannot be done. We are technology neutral. We do not endorse any technology, but neither do we condemn a technology. For a private company like Huawei, they just have to comply just like any company operating here. They have to comply with the law.” — Arjay L. Balinbin
