• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez has called for a balanced approach to artificial intelligence (AI) governance, urging policymakers and industry leaders to regulate the risks of AI without hindering innovation during the 2nd MAP x KPMG Technology Summit held at Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig City on June 30.
Addressing around 300 business executives, policymakers, and technology leaders at the summit themed “AI at Scale: Driving Value with Governance and Security,” Benitez presented the proposed Artificial Intelligence Development and Regulation Act, emphasizing that effective regulation can strengthen, rather than weaken, the country’s competitiveness.
“We should not stifle innovation, but we regulate the risk,” Benitez told delegates, underscoring that a credible AI legal framework would provide businesses with greater confidence while protecting the public from emerging technological threats.
In a statement, Benitez, who chairs the technical working group on artificial intelligence under the House committee on information and communications technology, explained that the proposed legislation consolidates 26 House bills, three resolutions, and one privilege speech into a single substitute measure.
The proposed measure seeks to establish a Philippine AI Commission under the Department of Information and Communications Technology through a phased implementation process.
Among its key provisions are a Bill of Rights for AI users, safeguards requiring the regulator to meet operational readiness standards before exercising its authority, and prohibitions against high-risk applications of AI, including the creation of AI-generated abuse imagery and AI-enabled election manipulation.
Benitez said the bill was crafted using existing Philippine legal and institutional frameworks while drawing lessons from international AI policies without directly adopting any single model.
He said the proposal was designed to withstand constitutional scrutiny while remaining responsive to the country’s specific needs.
The Negrense lawmaker stressed that the substitute bill remains open for further refinement, inviting business leaders, regulators, technology experts, and other stakeholders to review and challenge its provisions before the technical working group resumes deliberations on July 13. | GPB
