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Telecommunications

Daily intelligence on the Telecommunications beat

Monday, October 19, 2026

Issue #114

CICC Gives Reddit, Discord 24 Hours to Open PH Offices

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center ordered Reddit and Discord to establish a Philippine presence after three school shootings, then extended the deadline. Telcos separately pushed connectivity planning, AI returns and child-protection figures.

By the MMI Telecommunications Desk

CICC Gives Reddit, Discord 24 Hours to Open PH Offices

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), the agency that coordinates the government's response to online crime, told Reddit and Discord to set up Philippine offices or name local representatives within 24 hours, following three school shootings in recent months, including the September 18 attack at Banga National High School in South Cotabato. Neither company has publicly responded to the demand. On Wednesday the CICC allowed both platforms to work past the original deadline, describing the extension as a way to strengthen cooperation with the companies.

The same week, the CICC warned that online grooming moves through stages of manipulation — isolating a child, "love-bombing" them with affection and attention, then blackmail — and said the process can end in violence or suicide for young victims. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which sets national technology policy, said it is stepping up work against what officials call Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE), a label for online networks that glorify violence and self-destruction; DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the agency has been coordinating with other offices.

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Smart Opens iPhone Duo Preorders as DICT Gets New Chief

Smart Communications opened a three-hour preorder window for Apple's eSIM-only foldable iPhone Duo, while Robert de Claro took over the Department of Information and Communications Technology and Converge tested a cheaper prepaid fiber plan.

De Claro Takes Over DICT as NTC Flags 29 Weak Mobile Sites

Robert de Claro was sworn in as the new secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology on October 13, replacing Henry Aguda, while the National Telecommunications Commission's latest Metro Manila tests found 29 of 142 test points below the prescribed mobile broadband standard. DICT also ran a two-day digital job fair in Davao City offering more than 3,000 positions.

DICT Gets New Chief as NTC Drafts Used-Phone Rules

Robert de Claro takes over the Department of Information and Communications Technology after Henry Aguda's resignation, while the telecom regulator drafts permits for second-hand phone dealers and a Senate bill on under-18 social media use draws a surprised response from the cybercrime body.