Malacanang said on Tuesday that the Department of National Defense and the Office of the National Security Adviser are studying the security concern raised against the Chinese technology giant Huawei.

"I suppose the Department of National Defense and National Security Adviser are studying that matter and the President will be waiting for whatever recommendation they have on that," said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a press briefing.

Asked if the Palace would advise the Filipinos not to use Huawei, he said, "I have no personal knowledge or privy to anything about Huawei so I cannot competently respond to your question."

The United States has banned sharing technology with Huawei, which many saw as part of the trade war with China.

A report came out earlier regarding the Department of Foreign Affairs' memorandum informing the "Department of Information and Communications Technology, the National Security Council, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency that the Czech Republic and France have issued orders to limit the use of Huawei products primarily due to security concerns.”

The document said the Czech government announced a ban on the use of Huawei and ZTE devices last year "due to possible cyber-security threats."

The memo also stated that the Philippine Embassy in France "reported that France has implemented operator restrictions on Huawei, amidst concerns that China could spy on countries where it has a network presence due to potential ‘backdoors’ in Huawei’s code.” Celerina Monte/DMS