Message from the Commissioner
NTC Challenge
The challenges facing the present NTC as a regulatory body is to pursue its mandate to define policy for the ICT sector and oversee the implementation of all ICT-related government initiatives consistent with the goals and objectives of the national ICT plans. The NTC as a regulatory body is committed to implement fair competition to ensure that the ICT services are extended to more people, made more affordable, provided at high levels of service quality, and relevant to, and understood by, a broad range of society.
Today, the NTC is faced with a growing number of regulatory challenges from important issues like interconnection, local loop unbundling, alternative infrastructure to provide broadband access like multiple wireless local loop, third generation (3G) mobile service, licensing, broadband technologies deployment, internet and leased lines, internet governance like domain names, WIFI, convergence and cyber laws, price regulation, enforcement, dispute resolution, equipment type approval and many more.
There is however, in the Philippine setting, the need for sector and structural reforms in the telecoms/ICT industry. The need for a regulatory regime that provides both optimal conditions for economic growth, and at the same time, achieve universal service goals becomes imperative. More importantly, there is urgency for the enactment of legislations like convergence, cyber laws against cyber crimes, the reorganization and strengthening of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the creation of a Department of Information and Communications (DICT).
These reforms will spur investors’ confidence. The DICT will be the government agency to define policy for the ICT sector and oversee the implementation of all ICT-related government initiatives. The NTC, in turn will continue to serve as the regulatory body for the telecoms sector, but within broader mandate for the governance of ICT as well.
It is appropriate at this juncture to state that the National Telecommunications Commission has recently re-stated its mission and vision statements to reflect its desire to make the Philippines one of the major ICT players in Asia. The new mission and vision statements are:
MISSION: The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is a regulatory agency providing an environment that ensures reliable, affordable and viable infrastructure and services in information and communications technology accessible to all.
VISION: The NTC is a dynamic and transparent regulatory agency that will elevate the Philippines as a leading ICT-driven economy in Asia.
It is essential for NTC to ensure that the appropriate regulatory environment is in place not only to promote investment, innovation and competition, but in holding to the promise of driving down consumer cost and stimulating technical and market innovation so as to enable people to avail of the benefits of technology and enjoy its basic right to communication.
The challenge, therefore, ultimately lies on the NTC as the regulator in protecting the level playing field it has created and in sustaining the environment where there exists a public-private partnership among the stakeholders of the sector, namely, government, the industry and the consumer/civil society where the interest and welfare of the Filipino people is paramount.
The challenges facing the present NTC as a regulatory body is to pursue its mandate to define policy for the ICT sector and oversee the implementation of all ICT-related government initiatives consistent with the goals and objectives of the national ICT plans. The NTC as a regulatory body is committed to implement fair competition to ensure that the ICT services are extended to more people, made more affordable, provided at high levels of service quality, and relevant to, and understood by, a broad range of society.
Today, the NTC is faced with a growing number of regulatory challenges from important issues like interconnection, local loop unbundling, alternative infrastructure to provide broadband access like multiple wireless local loop, third generation (3G) mobile service, licensing, broadband technologies deployment, internet and leased lines, internet governance like domain names, WIFI, convergence and cyber laws, price regulation, enforcement, dispute resolution, equipment type approval and many more.
There is however, in the Philippine setting, the need for sector and structural reforms in the telecoms/ICT industry. The need for a regulatory regime that provides both optimal conditions for economic growth, and at the same time, achieve universal service goals becomes imperative. More importantly, there is urgency for the enactment of legislations like convergence, cyber laws against cyber crimes, the reorganization and strengthening of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the creation of a Department of Information and Communications (DICT).
These reforms will spur investors’ confidence. The DICT will be the government agency to define policy for the ICT sector and oversee the implementation of all ICT-related government initiatives. The NTC, in turn will continue to serve as the regulatory body for the telecoms sector, but within broader mandate for the governance of ICT as well.
It is appropriate at this juncture to state that the National Telecommunications Commission has recently re-stated its mission and vision statements to reflect its desire to make the Philippines one of the major ICT players in Asia. The new mission and vision statements are:
MISSION: The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is a regulatory agency providing an environment that ensures reliable, affordable and viable infrastructure and services in information and communications technology accessible to all.
VISION: The NTC is a dynamic and transparent regulatory agency that will elevate the Philippines as a leading ICT-driven economy in Asia.
It is essential for NTC to ensure that the appropriate regulatory environment is in place not only to promote investment, innovation and competition, but in holding to the promise of driving down consumer cost and stimulating technical and market innovation so as to enable people to avail of the benefits of technology and enjoy its basic right to communication.
The challenge, therefore, ultimately lies on the NTC as the regulator in protecting the level playing field it has created and in sustaining the environment where there exists a public-private partnership among the stakeholders of the sector, namely, government, the industry and the consumer/civil society where the interest and welfare of the Filipino people is paramount.
Prior to his appointment by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he was a Senior Partner of the Solis and Medina Law Office for ten years from 1995-2004. He also honed young minds in the discipline as a faculty member of the Philippine Law School from 1999-2003.
His other credentials include: