PLDT data centers ready to store top-secret government data

MANILA, Philippines —  Telco giant PLDT Inc. is ready to support the government in its policy to house highly sensitive information within the Philippines to strengthen national security and promote data residency.

PLDT chairman, president and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan yesterday said the telco is prepared to supply the government with data centers capable of storing top-secret and secret information.

Pangilinan said PLDT – as the country’s largest data center operator – is capable of responding to the mandate of Executive Order (EO) 119 to store government information locally.

“We have been preparing for this future for years. We built the infrastructure ahead of time, and our people have the expertise and capabilities to help the government secure data and accelerate our digital transformation,” Pangilinan said.

PLDT unit VITRO REIT Inc. manages 11 data centers across the country. Right now, it can offer up to 34 megawatts in capacity, and its facilities could be scaled up if need be.

VITRO REIT president and CEO Victor Genuino said VITRO Sta. Rosa – the country’s biggest data center with a capacity of 50 MW – is designed to process artificial intelligence (AI).

“We already host the critical data of the country’s data-driven government agencies, enterprises, and cloud and AI workloads,” Genuino said.

“And with the launch of VITRO Sta. Rosa, the country’s first and only AI-ready data center, we can confidently say that we are ready today, not just with the capacity, but with the cloud and AI capabilities the public sector requires,” he added.

VITRO REIT is backed by PLDT’s industry-leading fiber backbone of 1.3 million kilometers, spanning domestic and foreign terrains.

Genuino said the telco is ready to play its part in building up the Philippines as a regional hub for digital innovation.

EO 119 mandates that all top-secret and secret information of the government be stored locally. As defined, top secret information refers to matters that, when spilled to the public, could cause “exceptionally grave damage” to the Philippines on a political, economic or security scale.

The EO limits secret information to matters of national concern that could cause “serious injury” to the interest of the country.

It also authorizes confidential information stored abroad provided a prior approval is obtained, while restricted data can be placed on a cloud platform subject to cybersecurity checks.