MANILA, Philippines – What happens when the President’s own spokesperson can’t release Malacañang statements and give media interviews because of bad network signal?

He’ll fume about it on radio. 

Incoming Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque vented his frustrations against telecommunication companies during an interview on radio station dzMM on Friday, November 3.

After being asked to comment on slow internet speeds in the Philippines, Roque took the opportunity to say he himself has had a bad experience with local telecom companies.

His cellular phone signal is supposedly so bad in his Quezon City home that he is forced to take media calls in his garage.

At the time of his early morning call with host Ted Failon, he was still wearing a bathrobe.

“Ngayon po habang kausap kita, ako po ay naka-bathrobe, nasa labas ako ng bahay dahil walang signal doon sa loob ng bahay ko,” said Roque. 

(Right now, while I’m talking to you, I’m in a bathrobe outside my house because there is no signal inside my house.)

Still in Filipino, he added, “And earlier I told my wife that probably the presidents of the telcos should know about this because it seems even the Presidential Spokesperson can’t answer texts. There is no signal in my house.”

Roque recalled how he and fellow congressmen would be frustrated when deciding on the renewal of franchises for telecom companies.

The Philippine telecom industry is dominated by two companies, Smart Communications and Globe Telecom. There have been talks of more players entering the industry to promote competition. Many are hoping this will force all telcos to improve their services.

President Rodrigo Duterte himself has said he wants to open up the Philippine market to foreign telco players to “end the suffering” of Filipinos.

Roque repeated this presidential commitment: “[President Duterte] is a man of his words and he will use his political will to improve the state of telecommunications in our country.” – Rappler.com