House panel urges telcos to submit disaster plans

The information and communications technology (ICT) committee of the House of Representatives urged telcos and concerned government agencies on Wednesday to draft disaster action plans to address hoax text messages and to provide corrective dissemination of information during disasters. The plans are meant to allay public fears and prevent “mass hysteria" following the spread of malicious text messages alleging the possibility of radioactive rain reaching the country from the fallen nuclear plants in Japan, lawmakers said. PHL relies heavily on SMS “We are such an SMS-based nation that we are prone to mass hysteria," Taguig second district representative and chair of the House ICT committee Freddie Tiñga said during the hearing called to address the issue. During the recent Japan disasters, mobile phone networks were cut but Internet connections remained alive, providing a means of communication in disaster-stricken regions, and underscoring the need to fortify telecommunications networks during disasters. Markina second district representative Miro Quimbo, meanwhile, said that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) should act decisively to control and even prevent the spread of such malicious text messages. “There are powers that we can exercise that do not need laws. There are matters that the NTC can do to prevent the viral spread of these rumors," he specified. NTC not powerless Speaking on the sidelines of the public consultation on minimum broadband speeds in Baguio, NTC deputy commissioner Carlo Jose Martinez told GMA News Online that the commission is not exactly “powerless" in addressing these hoax text messages, as was previously reported. “The problem is we are subject to due process, before being able to identify the originator of the hoax text message," Martinez, who was just recently appointed to the NTC, explained. “We need a court order before we can order the telcos to locate its origin. That’s the limitation. The NTC has powers, but it’s subject to due process." Martinez added that, in such situations, the NTC relies on other agencies to verify the veracity of malicious text messages being passed around. “If there is a disaster, like what happened in Japan for example, and there are rumors of radiation reaching the country, we rely on the Department of Health or the Department of Science and Technology to confirm such reports," he said. Lapses in disaster coordination efforts He also belabored the fact that there were lapses within the government’s whole disaster coordinating efforts. “That’s what Congress is asking to be reviewed, because if there are any shortcomings, as to the whole picture, there really is a problem with the whole coordinating agency of the government," he claimed. The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) is the agency tasked to coordinate efforts during disasters. Martinez meanwhile welcomed the order of the Department of Justice to probe into the purveyors behind the malicious text messages. “Since there is already an order, things will be easier," he said. — TJD, GMA News