Imee Marcos slams ‘rushed’ Konektadong Pinoy Act

Senator Imee Marcos on Wednesday, 1 October, lamented that the deadline for comments on the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the newly enacted Konektadong Pinoy (KP) Act is “too rushed.”

Marcos, the principal author of the law, warned that both the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) may be using the IRR to sabotage the intent of the measure by giving stakeholders only 15 days from publication to submit comments.

The senator made the remark as the DICT set Thursday, 2 Oct., as the deadline for comments on the IRR of the KP Act, stressing that its transparency clause is “self-executory and must not be delayed or undermined by restrictive provisions in the IRR.”

“If they could not threaten the President into vetoing the bill, then their fallback is to bury booby traps into the IRR to keep small players out and protect the entrenched telcos. This must not be allowed,” she stressed.

In a formal letter to the DICT, furnished also to the NTC, Philippine Competition Commission, Department of Justice, Commission on Audit, and Department of Finance/Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management, Marcos ordered the immediate release of a complete national spectrum baseline.

This baseline must include: all frequency bands and blocks (700 MHz, 850/900, 1800, 2100, 2300, 2600, 3.3–3.8 GHz, 26/28/39 GHz, satellite, microwave, VHF/UHF); assignments and transfers since 2010 with their legal bases, terms, and beneficial owners; utilization data such as sites on-air, MHz×POP, traffic levels, and idle capacity; compliance records on coverage and quality-of-service commitments, spectrum caps and variances; as well as pending applications, public-safety allocations, and broadcast holdings.

She emphasized that if a computerized registry cannot be produced, certified photocopies of all underlying assignments and orders must be submitted.

“The law is clear: transparency is mandatory. Failure to submit the spectrum baseline will trigger a show-cause order, and if necessary, a direct instruction to NTC to deliver the full registry and documents,” she declared.

Marcos stressed that the KP Act aims to democratize telecommunications by opening spectrum access to new and smaller players.

Without immediate disclosure, the public cannot know which frequencies are hoarded, underutilized, or locked away in secret deals.

“Transparency is the first firewall against monopoly. The Filipino people deserve to know who holds our nation’s airwaves, how they are used, and why so much remains idle while connectivity gaps persist,” Marcos said.