Philippines' Digital Hub Dream Sinks Without Cable Reforms

The Philippines wants to become a regional digital hub, powered by stable underwater cables. But slow repair approvals, weak monitoring, and fragmented government oversight threaten that goal, a top telecom executive and analysts warn. At a forum on archipelagic governance for subsea cables, PLDT, the country's largest telecommunications company, urged greater cooperation among government agencies. The company also called for further reforms to expand this vital digital infrastructure.