National security risk seen under connectivity measure; strong digital safeguards urged

Philstar.com

July 31, 2025 | 2:16pm

MANILA, Philippines — If enacted into law in its present form, the digital connectivity measure pending in Senate could open the floodgates to foreign surveillance, digital exploitation, and algorithmic manipulation that threaten our country’s national sovereignty.

The warning was issued by Stratbase Institute President Dindo Manhit. According to him, while the Konektadong Pinoy (KP) Bill intends to expand digital access and connectivity nationwide, without embedded cybersecurity and data privacy guardrails, the measure could serve as a gateway for malign foreign influence.

“The Konektadong Pinoy Bill, in its current form, lacks the critical safeguards to ensure that connectivity does not come at the expense of national security,” said Manhit. 

“We cannot trade convenience for control. Without robust digital protections, we are risking mass exposure to surveillance, manipulation, and foreign interference,” he added.

Speaking at the 4th Civil-Military Operations forum organized by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Manhit delivered a presentation titled “Democracies in the Age of Disinformation and Misinformation”, saying how digital infrastructure, when poorly protected, becomes a double-edged sword.

He explained that cyber threats today go far beyond mere data breaches or technical glitches — they are now tools of modern warfare. 

“Cybersecurity is no longer just a technical concern; it is a fundamental pillar of our national security,” Manhit said, adding that “unchecked digital manipulation, algorithm-driven deception, and cyber intrusions are now instruments of geopolitical aggression — and we must treat them as such.”

Themed “5th Generation Warfare: A War of Information and Perception: Securing Minds, Societies, and Sovereignty”, the forum tackled the evolving landscape of hybrid threats, where information — and its manipulation — becomes both battlefield and weapon.

Manhit said the Philippines is increasingly vulnerable to what he called a “shadow war” being fought in cyberspace. He cited evidence of coordinated disinformation networks, digital influence operations, and foreign-funded propaganda efforts — especially active during recent electoral cycles — that aim to distort national discourse, sow distrust, and weaken democratic institutions.

“Our digital vulnerabilities are being exploited to undermine advocacies in the West Philippine Sea and silence defenders of democracy,” Manhit said, referencing previous Stratbase reports on pro-China information operations.

He said the KP Bill must not be passed hastily: “A bill this far-reaching should not be blind to the geopolitical context in which we operate. If it lacks cybersecurity protocols and user data protection, it becomes a Trojan horse for adversarial state actors.”