MANILA, Philippines — Urging the state to adapt to the demands of a digital-first society, Globe Telecom Inc. has called for the institutionalization of telco-friendly regulations within the ongoing review of the country’s decades-old construction laws. The Ayala-backed telecom giant is pushing for policies that treat digital connectivity as an indispensable public utility rather than an optional building addition.
The corporate push follows an directive issued last April by Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon ordering a comprehensive structural overhaul of the nearly five-decade-old National Building Code.
In a formal press statement, Globe President and CEO Carl Cruz emphasized that modern structural blueprints must treat network access with the exact same weight as electricity and water:
- The Fifth Utility Concept: Globe argued that the updated code should formally recognize telecommunications as a “fifth utility” (alongside water, power, sewerage, and gas systems), legally mandating that all upcoming real estate developments be built “fiber-ready” from the ground up.
- The Retrofitting Bottleneck: Under the current framework—Presidential Decree No. 1096, which was enacted in 1977 and last updated in 2005—developers are not required to allocate space for digital infrastructure. Consequently, tech providers are frequently forced to execute expensive, disruptive retrofitting on finished properties or absorb high lease fees just to lay down standard fiber-optic lines.
Globe’s engineering and legal divisions, led by Senior Vice President for Service Planning and Engineering Joel Agustin, outlined the specific policy revisions they hope to see integrated into the updated regulations:
- Mandatory Fiber Pathways: Requiring developers to include dedicated conduits, built-in riser spaces, and secure equipment rooms specifically reserved for telecommunications hardware during the early design and blueprint phases.
- Removal of Arbitrary In-Building Fees: Eliminating the unregulated, arbitrary lease charges imposed by property owners for the installation of In-Building Solutions (IBS). Telco advocates argue it is counter-intuitive for providers to pay property owners just to deliver the high-speed network connections that the building’s residents and tenants actively demand.
- Streamlining Digital Permitting: Scrapping redundant electronic permitting and inspection fees that often stall the construction of localized cell sites, broadcast systems, and micro-antenna arrays.
The telecom sector’s position has gained notable support from civic groups and consumer advocates. CitizenWatch Philippines echoed Globe’s calls, arguing that the existing electronics permits function as an unnecessary layer of bureaucratic delay that actively limits the expansion of local internet footprints.
By hardcoding digital ready-checks directly into the state’s updated structural regulations, industry stakeholders hope to cut through corporate red tape, lower rollout costs, and dramatically accelerate the Philippines’ broader digital transformation goals.
