Sen. Francis Pangilinan asked DND and AFP officials during the deliberations on the status of the MOA and the safeguards the government will put to ensure security from spying. In other words, we recognize that risk but we are also putting in place safeguards,” Pangilinan said. He said Dito, formerly known as Mislatel, has state-owned China Telecom as a major shareholder. Dito also uses equipment from Chinese firm Huawei, which has been banned by many countries, on espionage and other security concerns. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto also raised security concerns, saying Beijing seems to be trying to penetrate both the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Source: Philippine Star November 13, 2019 16:57 UTC