QUEZON CITY, Philippines—Several groups are opposed to the proposed regulation of digital content drafted by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

The NTC was supposed to conduct a public hearing Thursday but was abruptly cancelled for unknown reasons.

Groups opposed the agency’s plan to require companies involved in digital content creation to register with the NTC and pay certain fees.

Companies identified as digital content creators include online and mobile content providers, information sources, application developers, game developers and game publishers.

The Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP) has drafted a position paper in relation to the proposed guidelines.

GDAP Consultant Cesar Tolentino said the proposed regulation would have potential negative effects among game developers as they are not fully involved in sales or distribution of their products.

"It's a legal no-no to involve an entity not directly involved in business transactions," Tolentino said.

International Game Development Association-Philippine Chapter President Ranulf Goss said any form of regulation would impede creative development among budding game programmers.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines Information Technology Training Center (UPITCC) Program Director Jaime Caro said the NTC proposal is counterproductive especially for an industry that has yet to reach its potential.

The UPITTC is a UP and Japanese project aimed at training Filipino programmers and developers. Some of its graduates are now working as content developers for Internet and mobile services companies

He said NTC the proposal would discourage people from entering a business where they can exercise creativity.

"I hope that it would be the last we'll see of it [after the cancellation of the hearing]," Caro said.

A private sector executive who declined to be identified said they need to digest the proposal and come up with a better position paper.

"We also want to hear them tell us what the proposal meant,” the executive said.

Top executives from the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) arrived at the NTC about 15 minutes after the public hearing was cancelled.

CICT Chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua and Commissioner Monchito Ibrahim said they were not informed that the public hearing was cancelled although they went there to be "observers."

Asked for his opinion on the proposed regulation, Roxas-Chua said he also “wanted to find out more about it.”

The NTC has recently been placed under the CICT.