Refusing to pay revolutionary taxes works – Globe CEO

Aya Lowe

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Globe CEO Ernest Cu reports that the number of attacks on the company's cell sites in the provinces has gone down, and they haven't experienced one this year

Ernest Cu speaks to Maria Ressa on #TalkThursday

MANILA, Philippines – Globe Telecom Inc.’s dogged refusal to pay revolutionary taxes despite the bombing of its transmission stations has paid off with the number of attacks going down considerably, said Globe CEO Ernest Cu.

According to Cu, the number of attacks perpetrated by communist rebels has gone down in recent years and they haven’t experienced one this 2012.

“Resisting actually works as well. Our view is to partner with the military and the government, as opposed to the other side. Because we feel that if you support them, all they do is buy arms to shoot our soldiers.

“We have a very close relationship with the armed forces, a lot of the armed forces actually are supported by Globe in the localities. Sometimes we even give them shelter in our cell sites. And that partnership has really helped us in terms of counter-acting this threat,” said Cu speaking to Rappler on #TalkThursday.

“I hope it won’t start up because we’re talking about it,” he added cautiously.

Perhaps the attacks declined because the rebels are also now reliant on Globe’s service, Cu noted.

“These people are already reliant on the same service, and especially in those parts, let’s say Mindanao. We are the leading telco in that particular market, and so if they hit us, they will not have communication. And I think they have realized that as well. So it’s really been a non-issue for the last two years, I would say,” said Cu.

In August 2008, Globe’s relay stations and tower in the barangay Santo Rosario in Jamindan, Capiz province were bombed. The bombing was attributed to communist rebels allegedly because Globe refused to pay revolutionary taxes.

The police chief of Jamindan at the time, Chief Inspector Federico Lopez, said they received an intelligence report that a few weeks before the bombing the rebels had demanded P80,000 from Globe, but the company refused to pay.

In December 2002, New People’s Army members disabled Globe’s cell tower in barangay Paratong, Sta Cruz in Ilocos Sur. Three of the company’s security guards were also held hostage after the company refused to pay revolutionary taxes, according to senior inspector Flaviano Sudario, the chief of police of Sta Cruz. – Rappler.com

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