Gamaliel Cordoba

Gamaliel Asis Cordoba is a Filipino lawyer who was the longest-serving Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) from 2009 until 2022. He is currently the Chairperson (the equivalent of Auditor-General) of the Commission on Audit (COA) replacing former Solicitor General Jose Calida. His appointment was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments (CA) on November 29, 2022.

Cordoba at present also serves as External Auditor of the International Labour Organization.

Cordoba was one of the key figures in the 2020 shutdown of ABS-CBN and the denial of its franchise renewal, as well as the 2022 termination of ABS-CBN and TV5's partnership deal.

The Supreme Court upheld the decision to terminate ABS-CBN's franchise with the en banc unanimously voting to junk the petition questioning the NTC’s cease and desist order, saying it is "moot and academic" because Congress has denied the network's franchise renewal.

Education and early career
Cordoba took up Economics at the Ateneo De Manila University and obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1992. He subsequently entered the Ateneo School of Law and obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1996.

While at the Ateneo School of Law, Cordoba joined the Fraternal Order of Utopia, the fraternity of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, the late Chief Justice Renato Corona and former Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr.

After passing the Bar in 1997, he joined the Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako Law Offices, which was established in 1901 and has the distinction of being the oldest law office in the Philippines. Chairperson Cordoba also worked as a tax lawyer at SyCip GorresVelayo & Co.

Government service
Cordoba joined the government in 2001. He served for nearly a decade at the Office of the President, beginning with a stint as a Director at the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff, followed by his appointment in 2002 as Assistant Executive Secretary. Cordoba was later promoted to Undersecretary in 2003 and served as Appointments Secretary of President Gloria M. Arroyo from 2006 to 2007. From 2008 to 2009, he would also serve as part of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

He also represented the Office of the President as Director of the Philippine National Railways, Director of the Maritime Industry Authority, Member of the Presidential Committee on Good Governance, and Execom Member of the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center.

National Telecommunications Commission Commissioner
In 2009, Cordoba was appointed Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He was later appointed to the same position by her successor, President Benigno S. Aquino III, as well as President Rodrigo Duterte and President Bongbong Marcos. By the time he left the NTC in 2022, Cordoba held the distinction of being the Commission’s longest-serving head.

As NTC head, in 2015 Cordoba issued guidelines to filter online child pornography and block access to such websites.

During his tenure, the NTC broke the long-time duopoly in the telecommunications industry by selecting a third telco through a transparent bidding process under the guidance of the International Telecommunication Union.

Cordoba adopted the Japanese Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcast System as the Philippine Digital TV Platform as head of NTC.

In 2022, the NTC exceeded its target for 2021 by P3.82 billion, or 72.4% over its goal.

In the wake of typhoon "Rolly" in 2020, Cordoba spearheaded the “Libreng Tawag” program as head of NTC to ensure help is available all the time, and rehabilitation and recovery efforts are on time.

In a memorandum signed by Cordoba, he again ordered all public telcos to provide free call and charging stations in areas affected by the 7.0 earthquake in Abra in 2022.

During Cordoba's term as NTC chief, download speeds on fixed broadband in the Philippines increased from 7.91 mbps in July 2016 to 26.08 mbps in September of 2020. Meanwhile, download speeds on mobile connections increased from 7.44 mbps in July 2016 to 16.89 mbps in September 2020, representing a 127.06% increase.

While these numbers still fell short of the global standard at the time, the country's fixed broadband speed has now improved to 90.57 mbps, building on Cordoba's instituted reforms.

During his term, the telecoms regulator issued a cease-and-desist order against ABS-CBN after its legislative franchise expired on May 5, 2020.

Members of the House Committee on Legislative Franchise on July 10, in a vote of 70-11, rejected the broadcast network’s bid for a fresh franchise, which became the basis of a Supreme Court decision on August 25 to uphold NTC’s cease order.

ASEANSAI Chairmanship
At the 7th ASEAN Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) Summit held in Manila on November 2, 2023, Cordoba was named as the group's Chairman for the years 2024-2025.

The Philippines hosted the summit, which was attended by 68 delegates from the different SAIs of Cambodia, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Thailand, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

It was also the first ASEANSAI Summit held in person after the pandemic.

Chairmanship of INTOSAI Working Group on Public Debt
From May 8 to 10, 2023, Cordoba presided over the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Working Group on Public Debt (WGPD) Annual Meeting in Cairo, Egypt.

Cordoba led the Philippines’ Commission on Audit (COA) which acted as the Secretariat to the Working Group in the 2023 Cairo WGPD Annual Meeting.

The WGPD discussed better transparency and accountability in public debt management.

Cordoba and COA chaired the annual meeting of the INTOSAI WGPD in Baku, Azerbaijan from June 5 to 7, 2024. The event, which included delegates from 28 member Supreme Audit Institutions and experts from international organizations, focused on "Responding to the Global Challenges of Public Debt" and highlighted the importance of knowledge-sharing and collaboration on issues such as risk management, debt sustainability, and green financing.

External Auditor for ILO
COA began auditing the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2015 and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 2019, with audits conducted twice a year.

Chairperson Gamaliel Asis Cordoba presented COA’s comprehensive audit report for the year ending December 31, 2023, to the governing body of the ILO. This presentation took place at the 112th Session of the International Labour Conference and included consolidated financial statements.

Awards and recognitions
In 2010, Cordoba was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit by President Gloria M. Arroyo for his exemplary performance and service delivery to the Filipino people. He also received the Radio Award from the Ministry of International Affairs and Communications of Japan.

On July 19, 2023 he was conferred with “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” by the Government of Japan in recognition of his contribution to the cooperation of both countries in the areas of information and technology. Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa, on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, gave Cordoba the award for his pivotal role in adopting ISDB-T [1] in the Philippines. ISDB-T is a terrestrial digital television-broadcasting standard devised by Japan.

The awarding ceremony was witnessed by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, former President and current House Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Senate Majority Floor Leader Joel Villanueva, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, and NTC Commissioner Ella Lopez, along with close family and friends.