MANILA - Presidential candidate Sen. Manny Pacquiao said he welcomes the entry of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in the Philippines as he again met with officials of the company on Tuesday.

In his meeting with senior Space X executives in Bonifacio Global City, Pacquiao noted that foreign telcos like Space X’s Starlink are now allowed to enter the Philippine IT market without needing a local partner with the passage of the amendments to the Public Service Act.

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Pacquiao was accompanied by Senator Koko Pimentel who is also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Present during the meeting is Space X Senior manager for foreign relations Rebecca Hunter, and Philippine representative Ramon Garcia.

“I have no doubt that the entry of Space X into the Philippines would be a major game-changer, especially in the IT sector. We would definitely see a major upgrade to our IT infrastructure. There will be no more lags and no place unreachable,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao had his first meeting with Space X top executives last January where there they discussed the possibility of using low orbit satellites to provide cheap internet to the country.

Last month, Converge ICT said it reached an agreement to lease fiber lines and other ground support equipment to SpaceX for its Starlink project.

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