CitizenWatch Philippines

05/10/2026

Shared Conduits, Stronger Connections: Putting Filipino Consumers First

The ultimate measure of a policy’s effectiveness is whether it delivers reliable connectivity and fewer disruptions for Filipino consumers. CitizenWatch Philippines supports the initiative to establish national rules for shared underground fiber conduits.

We believe that the initiative – which calls for a coordinated national approach to the planning, construction and governance of underground conduit systems -- presents an opportunity to make consumer welfare a clear part of infrastructure policy.

For consumers, the test is straightforward: Will this lead to more dependable service and less disruption when infrastructure is damaged?

Clear responsibility is critical. The rules should identify who maintains shared facilities, who acts when infrastructure is damaged, and how service providers keep affected subscribers properly informed during an outage.

A severed fiber line can stop a student’s class, prevent a worker from earning a day’s pay, and disrupt payments, orders and other transactions for businesses of every size, from neighborhood stores to major enterprises. Consumers bear the consequences regardless of which company owns the damaged cable.

Coordinating infrastructure works can reduce unnecessary excavation and inconvenience, but accountability for safety and proper road restoration must be clear. Regulators should also establish measurable outcomes as the shared-conduit framework is developed and implemented.

These could include reductions in service interruptions caused by damaged fiber infrastructure, shorter restoration times, wider availability of reliable broadband services, and transparent reporting on outages and consumer complaints.

Shared infrastructure should likewise remain accessible under fair, transparent and technically sound rules so that the policy encourages network expansion rather than creating new barriers to competition.

Connectivity is now indispensable to work, education, commerce and access to essential services. A shared conduit policy can make broadband infrastructure more efficient and resilient. But its real value will be seen in the experience of consumers: fewer disruptions, quicker recovery when problems occur, and reliable connectivity reaching more communities across the country.

Atty. Tim Abejo
Co-convenor

05/10/2026

Orlando Oxales, Lead Convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines, writes on his weekly column in The Manila Standard:

“The SMART KIDS Act should protect children through an under-13 threshold, safeguarded teenage access and enforceable platform duties. Before excluding everyone below 18 from covered accounts, lawmakers must explain why those measures would be insufficient. Families deserve a framework that helps them guide their children, preserves legitimate opportunities and makes online abuse harder to commit. Those outcomes should determine how smart this piece of legislation really is.”

“Families deserve a framework that helps them guide their children.” An account blocked is not necessarily a child protected. A teenager may be excluded

28/09/2026

Orlando Oxales, Lead Convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines, writes on his weekly column in The Manila Standard:

“Shared underground conduits will not eliminate every fiber cut or solve every connectivity problem. But they can reduce unnecessary digging, improve coordination, make infrastructure more resilient, and create a more orderly path for network expansion.

The next time we open a road, we should think beyond the pavement we need today and plan for the connections communities will need tomorrow. If we dig once and build with the future in mind, we can connect more people, more businesses, and more communities for years to come.”

“Those details matter because a good idea can fail through poor execution.” We keep rebuilding the same road, then digging it up again to connect the

28/09/2026

A shared conduit policy can make broadband infrastructure more efficient and resilient. But its real value will be seen in the experience of consumers: fewer disruptions, quicker recovery when problems occur, and reliable connectivity reaching more communities across the country.

Stock image MANILA, Philippines — Consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines supports the proposal to establish national rules for shared underground conduits but said the policy must

25/09/2026

“Connectivity is now indispensable to work, education, commerce and access to essential services,” Abejo said.

A shared conduit policy can make broadband infrastructure more efficient and resilient. But its real value will be seen in the experience of consumers: fewer disruptions, quicker recovery when problems occur, and reliable connectivity reaching more communities across the country.”

CONSUMER advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines has backed moves to establish national rules for shared underground fiber conduits, saying the policy

25/09/2026

CitizenWatch Philippines has backed moves to establish national rules for shared underground fiber conduits, saying the policy should ultimately be measured by whether it delivers more reliable connectivity and fewer disruptions for Filipino consumers.

The initiative also complements the Dig Once Policy under Republic Act 12234, or the Konektadong Pinoy Act, which provides for better coordination in the installation of telecommunications conduits alongside roadworks and other infrastructure projects.

The policy is intended to reduce repeated excavation, shorten deployment time and improve coordination of civil works.

MANILA, Philippines — A consumer advocacy group has backed moves to establish national rules for shared underground fiber conduits, saying the policy should ultimately be measured by whether it delivers more reliable connectivity and fewer disruptions for Filipino consumers. “A severed f...

25/09/2026

The rapid rise of electric vehicles signals a wider transformation: transport, and eventually more buildings, industries, and digital infrastructure, will increasingly depend on the power system.

This shift can strengthen Philippine energy security by reducing exposure to imported petroleum, geopolitical disruptions, and volatile global oil prices, but only if the power system is ready for the added demand. Electrification must do more than shift demand from the fuel pump to an already constrained grid.

Generation, transmission, distribution, and storage capacity must be built ahead of demand through a balanced, progressively cleaner energy mix: indigenous resources, renewable energy, sufficient firm and flexible capacity, and stronger grid infrastructure.

EV adoption is therefore more than a transport-sector development. It is an early test of whether the Philippines can manage a broader infrastructure transition while advancing the coal moratorium's long-term goal of meeting future demand through a more diversified power system instead of defaulting to new coal capacity.

The government, along with industry stakeholders must plan and act in coordination. Energy security will depend not only on what we electrify, but on whether the power system is ready to support it.

21/09/2026

Orlando Oxales, Lead Convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines, writes on his weekly column in The Manila Standard:

“By 2033, progress should be evident beyond maps of new data centers and investment announcements. Filipino enterprises should have greater access to AI tools, government transactions should be faster, workers should move into better-paying roles, and sensitive data should be more secure. If PAIIM delivers these outcomes, it will have done more than bring AI infrastructure closer to home. It will have converted that computing power into a national capability that Filipinos can shape and put to work for the country’s development.”

“Additional power and water requirements should be supported by timely investments in generation, transmission, energy storage and water-efficient

17/09/2026

Another fuel price hike hits today. For Filipino families, that means another blow to an already stretched household budget.

Gasoline prices spiked by about P5.68 per liter, diesel by P4.31, and kerosene by P4.62 this week. These increases do not stop at the gas pump. Higher fuel costs eventually find their way into transportation, food, deliveries, electricity, and the prices of everyday goods.

Filipino consumers need relief now!

CitizenWatch Philippines welcomes the move to exclude allowable system loss charges from the VAT base as an important step toward easing electricity costs. Government must ensure its full implementation so that the intended savings reach consumers.

But with yet another fuel price increase, relief cannot stop with electricity.

CitizenWatch urges the government to temporarily suspend excise tax and VAT on petroleum products to immediately reduce the burden on households, workers, motorists, commuters, and businesses.

Energy taxes must not become an added burden when consumers are already being battered by volatile global fuel prices.

At the same time, every peso collected from consumers must be managed with transparency, accountability, and integrity. Public revenue should translate into better infrastructure, stronger energy security, reliable power, and services that improve people’s lives.

Affordable energy is not a luxury. It is essential to every household, every livelihood, and the entire economy.

Government must act decisively to insulate consumers today while building a more stable and affordable energy system for the future.

15/09/2026

Ibinahagi ng Department of Energy (DOE) ang mga adjustments sa presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo (September 15-21, 2026).

Ang mga pagbabagong ito ay nakabatay sa galaw ng pandaigdigang merkado ng langis, sa gitna ng patuloy na kaganapan sa Middle East na nakakaapekto sa global supply at presyo.

Patuloy ang pagkilos ng Department of Energy upang mapalakas ang supply ng langis at mapangalagaan ang kapakanan ng publiko.