dotPH

Mr. Chin Wong posted a rebuttal to our letter to the Editor in Manila Times dated April 23, 2004. Unfortunately, his response has the same fallacies that characterized his original article.

Mr. Wong claims that the PH domain is a public resource over which the Philippine government has sovereign rights. The simple answer to this is that ICANN itself has weighed in on this issue. Louis Touton, ICANN Vice-President and Legal Counsel, testified in court that "no foreign government owns or controls its ccTLD". The use of the word 'foreign' clearly implies that it is only the US government that does.

Mr. Wong also asserts that dotPH is claiming ownership over the PH domain. dotPH has never done so, and there is nothing to this effect in any document submitted to the NTC. In fact, one of the main problems with the NTC Guidelines is that it is more concerned with asserting government control over the PH domain than in identifying and solving any problems that may exist.

This same type of thinking pervades Mr. Wong's assertion that all is fair because dotPH has a choice -- either give up the Registry or cease to offer domain registrations to the general public. Unfortunately, it's a choice along the lines of "Heads we win, tails you lose."

The Registry and Registrar functions are both legitimate activities which dotPH has built from scratch. dotPH's systems didn't appear out of thin air but were developed using considerable time, effort and resources. For government to force dotPH to give one up is clearly unjust.

It also sets a terrible precedent for entrepreneurs in this country, who run the risk of developing an enterprise only to have it taken away arbitrarily once it is viable.

Finally, Mr. Wong asserts that dotPH is afraid of competition from its Registrars. He fails to understand that the Registry-Registrar relationship is not based on competition but on cooperation. dotPH realizes the importance of Registrars in promoting the PH domain. That's why we have the Registrar channel in the first place.

dotPH works with its Registrars to develop and educate the market about the PH domain. dotPH has done much to help Registrars generate greater profits from domain registrations, including:

1. A Shared Registry System which lets them search, register, pay for and manage domains online in real time, 24/7.
2. The Maestro (TM) Private Label technology, which helps Registrars cut costs by automating the domain registration process, available to all Registrars free of charge.
3. The lowest barriers to entry. Becoming a dotPH Registrar is quick, easy and cheap. There are no set-up or membership fees. Attractive bulk pricing means Registrars can get PH domains at up to 75% off the retail price.
4. Promotions which reward Registrars for promoting and selling PH domains. The last such program rewarded the Registrar's company and also awarded cash bonuses to the front-line personnel responsible for domain registrations.

A healthy Registrar channel coupled with a pro-active Registry is a win-win situation for everyone involved. This is something we have known and worked towards for years, and hope that Mr. Wong realizes it as well.