Solons told not to worry about China

The acting head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) sought to allay fears raised by congressmen over the national security implications of allowing a Chinese company to be the third telecommunications player in the Philippines.

Eliseo Rio Jr., acting DICT head, said the country’s two main telecommunications firms — Smart and Globe — already used software and hardware from Chinese firms Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE Corp.

Asked if it was possible for China to “put a bug” in the country’s telecommunications system, Rio answered: “It is fiction.” —Vince F. Nonato