PRRD reminds LGUs to act on telco permit applications

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the people after holding a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on July 30, 2020. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to local government officials to take only three days to process necessary papers stemmed from his frustration over delays in the approval of permits to put up cell towers for telecommunication companies, Malacañang said Monday.

In a virtual Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque echoed Duterte’s call to local officials, particularly municipal and city councils, to “act on” pending applications for permits.

“Eto po’y may kinalaman dun nga sa kaniyang reklamo na kinakailangan talagang mapabuti yung ating cellular service (This is related to his complaint that there is a need to improve the country’s cellular service),” Roque said.

Roque noted that the sooner city and municipal officials do their part in cutting red tape in the process of approving permits, the sooner telco services would have the opportunity to upgrade their services.

“So panawagan po sa lahat ng mga konseho sa buong Pilipinas, kung kayo naman po’y hindi kasama sa [enhanced community quarantine], kinakailangan po aktuhan lahat ng mga application ng telecoms company at iba pang mga kumpanya within three days (So, the appeal to councilors in the Philippines, if your area is not under ECQ, you need to act on applications of telecom companies and other companies within three days),” he said

He also reminded them of Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 which is meant to address the tedious and unnecessary procedures in the delivery of public services.

RA 11032, which supplants RA 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, provides simplified requirements and streamlines procedures in the processing of government documents.

The law mandates government agencies to process simple transactions within three working days, complex transactions within seven working days, and highly-technical transactions in 20 working days.

Cutting red tape in government is one of the solutions seen by Duterte to stop public servants from being involved in corrupt activities.

In a public address late Sunday night, Duterte ordered local government officials to release necessary papers, such as ordinances, within three days or face charges

He warned that they may face prosecution if they failed to comply immediately.

“The clock is ticking except on the days we do not hold office, I will count the 72 hours weekdays.

 Tapos (Then) for example it has been there on Monday, then two to three days, should be on Thursday. If you fail to do that, I am directing Fiscal Yang to file the case immediately with the department or sa ano,” he said.

It was unclear who he was referring to as “Fiscal Yang” but Duterte said he was a former fiscal from Nueva Ecija.

“I’ll see to it that you are effectively suspended preventive — suspended as a form of a punishment. But I would prefer that you would be dismissed immediately and the courts for not to interfere,” he added.

Last Thursday, Duterte urged his Cabinet to employ “drastic” measures to shorten the process of securing permits for building telecommunication company towers.

This after Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu explained the difficulties telecommunications companies face in securing permits to build towers or cell sites.

In his fifth and penultimate state of the nation address (SONA) on July 27, he called on Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc., the wireless arm of PLDT Inc. to improve their services by December or risk having their assets seized.

“I call on our communication companies to improve their services lest we be forced to take drastic steps to address the less than ideal services that the public is getting from you,” he said.

Duterte said telcos should not make the public wait for “10 years” to experience the kind of service being enjoyed by other countries.

“If you are not ready to improve, I might just as well close all of you and we revert back to the line telephone. At kukunin ko ‘yan i-expopriate ko sa gobyerno (And I will get that, I will expropriate it),” he said.