De Claro Takes Interim DICT Post as NTC Tests MRT-3 Speeds

The Conversation

Roberto de Claro's appointment as interim secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) puts an acting head over the agency that sets internet and telecom policy, and he inherits two live files: a congressional bill on children's digital safety and a regulator running speed tests on the capital's busiest rail line. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named De Claro, previously president and chief executive of the Social Security System (SSS), on October 14, replacing Henry Aguda, who resigned 1. In his first statements, De Claro said he wants better internet service, an artificial intelligence framework, and stronger cybersecurity 2. The appointment videos drew modest attention: the October 15 newscast clip had 2,044 views 2. Marcos also named former Taguig City mayor Lino Cayetano to lead the Presidential Communications Office, replacing Dave Gomez 1.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the agency that regulates telecom and broadcast services, measured mobile and internet speeds along the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), GMA Network reported on October 15 5. GMA's noontime newscast Balitanghali carried a second report the following day 6, and its late-night newscast Saksi reported the checks on October 15 7. None of the reports give measured results or say what the NTC will do with them. Public reaction was small: the October 15 video drew 3,353 views, 35 likes and 23 comments; the October 16 version drew 765 views and 4 likes 56; the Saksi segment had 185 views on GMA News' YouTube channel on the date it appeared 7.

On the corporate side, PLDT Home and MWell, a health and wellness service, launched the MWell Family Plan 399, a subscription for PLDT Home Fiber subscribers, at a pickleball event on October 16 9. One PH, the news channel of the Cignal TV pay-TV service, carried the launch on YouTube, where the video drew 52 views and 4 likes 9; TV5's Frontline Pilipinas reported it the same day in a segment credited to Jannie Alipoon 15. Globe Telecom sponsored a music festival at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds on the evening of October 17, with December Avenue headlining alongside local bands Doughbaby and Caña, according to a Facebook post dated October 17 11. That post carried no comments and one share 11. A separate October 16 YouTube interview with lawyers about a woman who fought a cell tower company drew 5,963 views, the most of any item that day, though it names no Philippine operator 10. A political commentary video naming Vice President Sara Duterte, with no telecom content, drew 5,431 views, 481 likes and 17 comments 12. Across the period, the top PLDT-related results in web search were PLDT's own corporate and product pages and its Wikipedia entry, not news reports 1314.

Key themes

1. De Claro takes the DICT in an acting capacity with internet speed and AI policy on his desk. Marcos appointed Roberto de Claro, formerly of the Social Security System, as interim DICT secretary on October 14, replacing Henry Aguda, who resigned 1. De Claro said his priorities are better internet service, an artificial intelligence framework, and stronger cybersecurity 2. The word "interim" matters: an acting secretary can set direction but may have less room to commit the agency to long-term decisions until permanently confirmed.
2. The NTC is measuring mobile and internet speeds on the MRT-3, with no results published. GMA Network reported the checks on October 15 and again on October 16, and its Saksi newscast carried the story the same day 567. The reports describe the testing but give no measured speeds and no timetable for releasing them 56.
3. A bill creating a children's digital safety office under the DICT has cleared the House. House Bill 11566 would create an Office for Children's Social Media and Digital Safety under the DICT, and the House has approved it 4. If the Senate clears it, De Claro inherits the build-out of a new office inside an agency he currently heads on an interim basis.
4. PLDT Home and MWell launched a bundled health subscription for fiber subscribers. The MWell Family Plan 399 is a health and wellness subscription sold to PLDT Home Fiber customers, launched at a pickleball event on October 16 9. One PH and TV5's Frontline Pilipinas both carried the launch 915. No subscriber or take-up figures were given 9.
5. Globe sponsored a Bacolod music festival with December Avenue headlining. The October 17 event at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds featured December Avenue alongside local bands Doughbaby and Caña 11. The Facebook post announcing it carried no comments and one share 11.
6. A cell tower dispute drew the most views of any item in the set. A YouTube interview with lawyers about a woman who fought a cell tower company drew 5,963 views, the highest of any item that day, though it names no Philippine operator 10. The subject — a resident in conflict with a tower builder — is the kind of local dispute that can shape public attitudes toward network expansion.
7. Viber reported growth in Philippine paid subscriptions and daily time spent. Viber expects monthly active users in the Philippines to grow 16.5 percent year over year and average daily time spent on the platform to rise 24 percent, executives said at a Makati briefing on October 13 28. Viber Plus paying subscribers in the country rose 34.3 percent year over year, and year-to-date revenue from the service rose 75.5 percent; the Philippines ranked first globally in active paying subscribers and as a contributor to Viber Plus revenue 28.
8. Globe positioned the private sector as a partner in Pax Silica, an emerging international technology initiative. Globe President and CEO Carl Cruz said private sector engagement will be essential as the Philippines explores opportunities across technology industries and global supply chains 33. His view echoed Ayala Corp. Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala's call for businesses to identify how their existing capabilities could support the initiative 33.

How the narratives stack

Dominant. The DICT leadership change is the most consequential item in the set. De Claro's appointment puts an acting secretary over the agency that regulates telecoms and sets internet policy, and it comes as the NTC runs speed checks on a commuter rail line and as Congress sends the agency a new children's digital safety mandate 145. The appointment drew modest social attention — 2,044 views on the October 15 newscast clip 2 — but its consequences for the sector are larger than its engagement. Within the captured set, the DICT story and the NTC speed tests together account for the bulk of the regulatory news.

Counter-narrative. The corporate and consumer items — the MWell Family Plan 399 launch, the Globe-sponsored Bacolod festival, and Viber's growth figures — present a telecom sector expanding into health subscriptions, live events, and paid messaging services 91128. Viber's numbers are the most concrete: 16.5 percent expected growth in monthly active users, 24 percent expected growth in daily time spent, 34.3 percent growth in paying subscribers, and 75.5 percent growth in year-to-date revenue from Viber Plus 28. These are company projections and company-reported figures, not independently audited data, but they describe a Philippine market where messaging apps are adding paid tiers and where a health subscription can be bundled into a home broadband plan.

Emerging. The NTC's MRT-3 speed testing is the item most likely to produce a concrete benchmark. The agency has not said whether the testing is a one-off or the start of a wider program, and no results have been published 7. If the NTC publishes route-specific findings, commuters and media gain a yardstick for comparing carriers on a named route, and the agency gains a basis for service-quality requirements. The children's digital safety bill is a second emerging file: House approval is not enactment, and the Senate has not acted 4.

Under-covered. The cell tower dispute drew the most views of any item in the set — 5,963 on a YouTube interview with lawyers — but it names no Philippine operator and received no follow-up coverage in the material 10. Local disputes over tower construction are a recurring source of friction for carriers seeking to expand coverage, and the absence of operator-specific reporting leaves the underlying facts unclear.

Platform insights

• YouTube. YouTube carried most of the day's video activity, and the distribution of views is uneven. The cell tower interview drew 5,963 views 10; a political commentary video with no telecom content drew 5,431 views, 481 likes and 17 comments 12; the October 15 NTC speed-test report drew 3,353 views, 35 likes and 23 comments 5; the October 16 version drew 765 views and 4 likes 6; the Saksi segment drew 185 views 7; the MWell launch on One PH drew 52 views and 4 likes 9; the PLDT Home Fiber Biz Madiskarte Masterclass episode featuring Fibo Lim, president of Fibo Lim Group of Companies, drew no likes or comments 8. The pattern is that consumer-conflict and political content outperformed telecom regulatory and product content by an order of magnitude.
• Facebook. The Globe-sponsored Bacolod festival was announced in a Facebook post dated October 17 that carried no comments and one share 11. Facebook is where the event's local audience would be reached, and the low interaction suggests the post did not travel beyond its immediate followers.
• X and Reddit. No posts from these platforms appear in the material for this window.

Key voices and communities

Government and regulators. President Marcos made the DICT and PCO appointments 1. De Claro set out his priorities in his first statements 2. The NTC ran the MRT-3 speed checks 57. The DICT's regional offices are pushing cybersecurity awareness, with its Region 2 office warning the public about online scams 3. The House approved House Bill 11566 4. These are the actors whose decisions set the rules the carriers operate under.

Telecom and platform companies. PLDT Home and MWell launched the Family Plan 399 915. Globe sponsored the Bacolod festival 11 and its CEO, Carl Cruz, commented on Pax Silica 33. Viber executives, including senior director for Asia-Pacific David Tse, presented growth figures at a Makati briefing 28. PLDT Home also published a business-marketing episode in its Fiber Biz Madiskarte Masterclass series featuring Fibo Lim 8.

Local communities and event audiences. The Bacolod festival audience and the local bands Doughbaby and Caña are part of the Globe event's community 11. The MassKara Festival in Bacolod, which drew thousands to the city's streets over the same weekend, is the larger civic context for any Bacolod event 19.

Legal and consumer-advocacy voices. The lawyers interviewed about the cell tower dispute represent a consumer-advocacy perspective that drew the most views of any item 10. Their framing — a resident in conflict with a tower company — is the kind of local story that can shape public attitudes toward network expansion.

Narrative streams

De Claro takes the DICT on an interim basis with internet speed and AI policy on his desk

Roberto de Claro's appointment as interim DICT secretary, announced October 14, puts an acting head over the agency that sets telecom and internet policy 1. He replaces Henry Aguda, who resigned 1. De Claro comes from the Social Security System, where he was president and chief executive, and his first statements named better internet service, an artificial intelligence framework, and stronger cybersecurity as priorities 2. The appointment videos drew modest attention: 2,044 views on the October 15 newscast clip 2.

The DICT's regional offices are already pushing cybersecurity awareness, with its Region 2 office warning the public about online scams 3. That work continues regardless of who heads the agency, but a new secretary's priorities can shift where resources go. The children's digital safety bill adds a second file: House Bill 11566 would create an Office for Children's Social Media and Digital Safety under the DICT, and the House has approved it 4. If the Senate clears it, De Claro inherits the build-out of a new office inside an agency he currently heads on an interim basis.

For carriers, the practical question is how much an acting secretary can commit to. An interim head can set direction and name deputies, but long-term decisions — spectrum policy, service-quality rules, AI frameworks — may wait for a permanent appointment. Carriers planning regulatory strategy should map the DICT's stated internet and AI priorities against their own talking points before De Claro names his deputies.

The NTC measures mobile and internet speeds on the MRT-3 with no results published

The NTC measured mobile and internet speeds along the MRT-3 rail line, GMA Network reported on October 15 5. GMA's Balitanghali carried a second report on the same checks the following day 6, and its Saksi newscast reported the checks on October 15 7. The reports describe the testing but give no measured results and no timetable for releasing them 567.

The MRT-3 is Manila's main elevated railway, and commuters on it are the people directly affected. Public reaction was small: the October 15 video drew 3,353 views, 35 likes and 23 comments; the October 16 version drew 765 views and 4 likes; the Saksi segment had 185 views 567. The NTC has not said whether the testing is a one-off or the start of a wider program 7.

For subscribers who judge carriers on signal quality in transit, measured performance on a named route is a concrete yardstick. If the NTC publishes route-specific findings, commuters and media gain a benchmark for comparing carriers, and the agency gains a basis for service-quality requirements. Carriers should flag MRT-3 line speed results to their communications teams as a possible basis for future NTC requirements.

PLDT Home and MWell launch a bundled health subscription for fiber subscribers

PLDT Home and MWell, a health and wellness service, launched the MWell Family Plan 399, a subscription for PLDT Home Fiber subscribers, at a pickleball event on October 16 9. One PH carried the launch on YouTube, where the video drew 52 views and 4 likes 9; TV5's Frontline Pilipinas reported it the same day in a segment credited to Jannie Alipoon 15. No subscriber or take-up figures were given 9.

The launch widens PLDT Home Fiber's bundled services. Bundling health subscriptions into a home broadband plan is a way to differentiate a commodity product and to raise average revenue per subscriber. The material gives no take-up figures, so the commercial effect is unknown. For PLDT's communications team, the launch is a partnership announcement rather than a service issue, and it is the newest branded change to the PLDT Home Fiber line.

Separately, PLDT Home published a business-marketing episode in its Fiber Biz Madiskarte Masterclass series, featuring Fibo Lim, president of Fibo Lim Group of Companies, on how to build campaigns for small businesses 8. The video had no likes or comments 8. The series is aimed at small-business customers, a segment where fiber providers compete on more than speed.

Globe sponsors a Bacolod music festival with December Avenue headlining

Globe Telecom sponsored a music festival at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds on the evening of October 17, with December Avenue headlining alongside local bands Doughbaby and Caña, according to a Facebook post dated October 17 11. That post carried no comments and one share 11.

The event ran on the same weekend as the MassKara Festival, Bacolod's annual festival where thousands gather for street dancing, illuminated floats, and competitions among schools and barangays 19. The MassKara Festival's Electric MassKara and Mega Float Parade snaked from Megaworld The Upper East to the Bacolod City Government Center, featuring illuminated floats and performances 19. A telecom-sponsored concert in that setting reaches a local audience in a festive mood, and the sponsorship is a brand-building move rather than a service announcement. The low interaction on the announcing post suggests the event's reach was local and did not travel widely online.

Viber reports growth in Philippine paid subscriptions and daily time spent

Viber is expanding its services in the Philippines beyond messaging as the country records growth in paid subscriptions, dating, and business interactions, company executives said at a media briefing in Makati City on October 13 28. David Tse, senior director for Asia-Pacific, said Viber expects monthly active users in the Philippines to grow 16.5 percent year over year and average daily time spent on the platform to increase 24 percent 28. Viber Plus paying subscribers in the country rose 34.3 percent year over year, and year-to-date revenue from the service rose 75.5 percent; the Philippines ranked first globally in active paying subscribers and as a contributor to Viber Plus revenue 28.

"What we are seeing in the Philippines goes beyond an increase in usage. We're really seeing people using it from everyday communication to premium services like dating, increasingly, interactions with businesses," Tse said 28. The figures are company projections and company-reported numbers, not independently audited data. They describe a Philippine market where messaging apps are adding paid tiers and where business messaging is becoming a revenue line. For telecom operators, the growth of over-the-top messaging services is a competitive pressure on traditional text and voice revenue, and it is a reminder that the messaging layer is where customer relationships increasingly sit.

Globe positions the private sector as a partner in Pax Silica

Globe sees an opportunity for Philippine businesses to contribute to the country's participation in Pax Silica, an emerging international technology initiative, through collaboration with government and industry 33. Globe President and CEO Carl Cruz said private sector engagement will be essential as the Philippines explores opportunities across technology industries and global supply chains 33. His view echoed Ayala Corp. Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala's call for businesses to identify how their existing capabilities could support the initiative 33.

"We see Pax Silica as an important conversation for the country, and the private sector should be part of it," Cruz said 33. Globe supports continued dialogue and collaboration among government, the private sector, academe, and other stakeholders to help identify where Philippine capabilities can meaningfully contribute 33. Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo has outlined a proposed Philippine Tec 33. The initiative's details are not spelled out in the material, and its practical effect on Philippine telecoms is unclear. For Globe, the statement is a positioning move: it places the company in a government-led technology conversation that could shape supply-chain and investment decisions.

A cell tower dispute draws the most views of any item in the set

A YouTube interview with lawyers about a woman who fought a cell tower company drew 5,963 views, the most of any item that day, though it names no Philippine operator 10. The subject — a resident in conflict with a tower builder — is the kind of local dispute that can shape public attitudes toward network expansion. Carriers seeking to build towers frequently face local opposition, and disputes that reach YouTube can travel further than the local news that covers them. The material does not identify the operator or the outcome, so the facts of the dispute are unclear.

The broader policy and market context

The DICT appointment and the NTC speed tests sit alongside other policy developments that touch the telecom sector. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered five online shopping platforms — Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, TikTok Shop, and SM Retail — to submit the delivery records of their truck-for-hire service partners, as part of a crackdown on colorum, or unlicensed, delivery vehicles 3435. The order matters for e-commerce logistics, which depends on the connectivity and delivery networks that telecom and internet providers support. The Department of Trade and Industry hosted the ASEAN MSME Summit 2026 in Pasay City on September 21, convening 400 regional leaders, trade ministers, and business figures under the ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and the Digital Economy Framework Agreement, with discussions on digital market access, cross-border financing, and technology integration for micro, small, and medium enterprises 23. Those discussions set the regional policy backdrop for digital services, including telecom. President Marcos returned from a five-day working visit to Singapore from October 7 to 11, focused on trade and investment, digital technology, artificial intelligence, the green economy, smart infrastructure, renewable energy, and healthcare 29. The visit's digital and AI agenda overlaps with De Claro's stated priorities at the DICT.

Conversation trajectory

Watch for published MRT-3 speed results over the next four to six weeks. The NTC has not said when it will release findings or whether the testing will extend to other rail lines 7. If results are published, they give commuters and media a route-specific benchmark and give the agency a basis for service-quality requirements. If no results appear, the testing remains a symbolic exercise.

Watch for De Claro's deputy appointments and any DICT statements on the children's digital safety bill over the next quarter. An interim secretary's first personnel decisions signal where the agency is heading 12. The Senate's handling of House Bill 11566 will determine whether the DICT builds a new office 4.

Watch for PLDT Home Fiber subscriber and take-up figures for the MWell Family Plan 399 at the next quarterly results. The launch is the newest branded change to the PLDT Home Fiber line, and the material gives no take-up figures 9. Quarterly results will show whether the bundle is moving subscribers.

Watch for Viber's next set of Philippine figures. The company's projections — 16.5 percent growth in monthly active users, 24 percent growth in daily time spent, 34.3 percent growth in paying subscribers, and 75.5 percent growth in year-to-date revenue — are company-reported and will be tested against future disclosures 28.

Trigger events. The Senate's action on House Bill 11566; any NTC announcement of MRT-3 results or extension to other rail lines; De Claro's deputy appointments; PLDT's next quarterly results; and any follow-up reporting on the cell tower dispute 10.

Response guidance

Regulatory teams: map the DICT's stated priorities against your client's talking points. De Claro has named better internet service, an AI framework, and stronger cybersecurity as priorities 2. Prepare positions on each before the agency names deputies, and track the children's digital safety bill's progress in the Senate 4.

Network and service teams: prepare for route-specific speed benchmarks. The NTC's MRT-3 testing could become the basis for service-quality requirements 7. Review performance on named commuter routes and be ready to respond if results are published.

Consumer-facing teams: treat local tower disputes as a reputation issue. The cell tower interview drew the most views of any item in the set 10. Local opposition to tower construction can travel online, and carriers should have clear, local-language information about tower safety and permitting ready before a dispute escalates.

Product and marketing teams: brief on the MWell Family Plan 399 and the Viber growth figures. The bundle is the newest branded change to the PLDT Home Fiber line 9, and Viber's paid-subscription growth is a competitive signal for messaging and business services 28.

Brand and events teams: separate sports sponsorships from telecom coverage. PLDT and TNT brand mentions in PBA and PVL coverage are team names only and carry no service or regulatory news 161718262731. Keep them out of telecom monitoring reports so that service issues are not confused with sports results.

Communications teams: use local events with realistic expectations. The Globe-sponsored Bacolod festival drew one share on its announcing post 11. Local sponsorships build goodwill in the community where they happen, and their online reach is typically limited to that community.

See the full picture behind today's signals.

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