Malacañang awaits NTC evaluation on telco services

Roque, however, said he has no knowledge about what Duterte has to say on telco services. (Pixabay photo)

MANILA – Malacañang is waiting for the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to submit an official evaluation on the extent of improvements made in services of telecommunication companies.

In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte will decide on the fate of telcos after reviewing the NTC’s evaluation.

“I’m still waiting for the official evaluation to be submitted to the Office of the President coming from the NTC. So, if Commissioner Liel (Gamaliel Cordoba) is watching our press briefing, hinihintay po ng Office of the President iyong evaluation na ipinangako ninyo po na isumite (the Office of the President is waiting for the evaluation you promised to submit) before end of the year,” he said.

Roque, however, said he has no knowledge about what Duterte has to say on telco services.

“I’m not the President, I cannot definitely say that. But what I can say is the President is awaiting the official evaluation from the regulatory body and as soon as it is submitted to him, then I’m sure I can insist that he come up with a public reaction to the evaluation,” he added.

In his penultimate state of the nation address last July, Duterte gave both Smart Communications and Globe Telecom until December to improve their services or get shut down.

Last Dec. 1, Roque admitted that he personally felt that there was no improvement in telco services.

He said he thinks many Filipinos as well as Duterte would agree with his statement that there have not been any significant changes in telco services.

But on Dec. 8, Cordoba said the country’s average fixed broadband speed increased from 25.07 Mbps (megabits per second) in July 2020 to 28.69 Mbps in November 2020, four months since the President issued his warning.

The mobile download speed also rose from 16.95 Mbps in July 2020 to 18.49 Mbps in November 2020.

Cordoba attributed this increase on internet speed to Duterte’s “political will” and close cooperation among different government agencies, adding that the chief executive’s recent pronouncement paved for more than 100 percent increase in the issuance of construction permits to telco companies.

Duterte earlier urged his Cabinet to employ “drastic” measures to shorten the process of securing permits for building telco company cellular towers.

Cordoba said the public can expect more improvements by 2021 once DITO starts its commercial operations in March next year

On July 8, 2019, Duterte awarded Mislatel Consortium, now Dito Telecommunity, the permit to operate as the Philippines’ third telco provider.

The corporation is a consortium led by Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy and composed of Uy’s Udenna Corporation, its subsidiary Chelsea Logistics, and China Telecommunications Corporation.