Malacañang called on telecommunication players Globe Telecom and Smart Communications to prove to President Rodrigo Duterte that they have improved their services.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque issued this demand on Tuesday, December 1, the deadline Duterte gave Globe and Smart to fix their service problems during his State of the Nation Address last July.

But even before Smart and Globe could comply with the demand, Roque went ahead and said that, based on his experience, there was no improvement.

“Kinumpirma ko na yung karanasan natin ay talagang ganyan din ang nararamdaman ng buong bayan at si Presidente rin siguro, napapansin niya, wala pa ring improvement,” said Roque in a virtual press briefing.

(I confirm that my experience is something the entire country feels and the President probably notices also that there has been no improvement.)

Roque had been asked by reporters if Duterte would make good on his promise to order a government takeover of Globe and Smart if they failed to enhance their services by December.

“Hinihimok ko po ang ating mga telcos: ano naman po ang isusukli niyo matapos kayo pagbigyan ng Presidente doon sa hinihiling niyo na mapabilis yung approval ng mga telecom towers?” said Roque.

(I am challenging our telcos: what will you give in return after the President gave in to your wish to fast-track the approval of telecom towers?)

List new towers

The Duterte spokesman then “invited” Globe and Smart to submit a list of towers they have put up since July 27, Duterte’s SONA.

Earlier in the briefing, Roque said he tried to call National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba to get his assessment on Globe and Smart services.

The NTC is the regulatory body which evaluates and monitors services of telco firms.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año had given Duterte an update on the telcos on Monday evening.

Año told the President that 2,220 applications for telecom towers have been approved while 712 are still pending.

Globe and Smart are led by the Ayalas and Manny Pangilinan, respectively – tycoons whom Duterte has repeatedly railed against for supposedly being part of an oligarchy “exploiting” Filipinos.

Many of the tycoons Duterte has condemned publicly are chipping in to buy a batch of COVID-19 vaccine that will benefit the government.

Roque, however, was mum when it came on the part of Dito Telecommunity, the 3rd telco player led by Duterte campaign contributor and businessman Dennis Uy and Beijing-run China Telecom.

Dito missed its July technical roll-out target supposedly due to the pandemic.

Under the terms of reference, if Dito misses its targets more than twice, it will lose its P24-billion performance bond. – Rappler.com