FILIPINOS have expressed both optimism and concern over the Konektadong Pinoy Act, or the Open Access in Data Transmission Law, which lapsed into law on Sunday, August 24, 2025.
“We need the internet nowadays to keep people connected. For overseas Filipino workers, it’s a huge help in easing their longing for their families here,” said Father Christian Ofilan of the Diocese of Borongan.
“For students, it’s also a big help in giving them a tool to access information brought by the online wealth of knowledge. For offices, it’s also a great help in speeding up processes that would otherwise take a long time if done manually,” Ofilan told Sunstar Philippines on Monday, August 25.
The Catholic-majority Philippines has over 12 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), whose families rely on the internet for communication.
Ofilan maintained the law “is a tremendous help” in terms of the church’s evangelization initiatives, particularly that an average Filipino spends 8 hours and 52 minutes online daily.
“The internet nowadays is full of online missionaries who greatly help in evangelization,” Ofilan said.
In his media interviews, Senate President Francis Escudero also said “it is about time that we empower Filipinos through greater access to information and connectivity.”
“The Philippines has one of the highest internet connectivity costs in the world, considering the speed it offers to consumers,” the senator said.
Meanwhile, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda welcomed the new law, saying it “aims to ensure universal, reliable, and affordable internet for every Filipino.
"The Konektadong Pinoy Act is not just about building networks; it’s about building opportunities for every Filipino…By making internet access truly universal, we are creating a foundation for better education, e-commerce growth, accessible government services, and stronger communities,” Aguda said in a statement.
"The President’s vision is clear: no Filipino should be left behind in the digital age," he added.
As this developed, some cause-oriented groups have also aired apprehension about its security issues.
“It should require that all providers comply with cybersecurity audits and data-privacy standards from launch, ensuring that connectivity does not come at the expense of security,” said Orlando Oxales, lead convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines, an independent network that advocates for the interests of citizen rights.
“Worse, the unfettered flow of disinformation and propaganda threatens to undermine our people’s capacity for enlightened decision-making and self-determination. Previous elections have demonstrated the power of such campaigns…Access to online content has been weaponized to influence the minds and behavior of all users,” Oxales said in an earlier statement.
In a separate interview, IT expert and consultant Ronel Boholano flagged potential loopholes in the law.
“Because now local Internet Service Providers (ISP) can use existing infrastructures—like common posts or common towers—and the cybersecurity procedures in place for internet traffic passing through their lines… that’s our fear,” Boholano told SunStar Philippines.
“That many of them might not follow the standards or national Internet Service Provider policies. So, it’s still challenging for DICT and other government institutions to monitor ISP providers,” he added.
According to the 2023 edition of the Worldwide Broadband Speed League, the Philippines ranked 86th out of 220 countries with an average download speed of 43.36 Mbps—slower than the Asian average of 45.72 Mbps, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies reported in March 2024. (Ronald Reyes/SunStar Philippines)