Umayos na kayo! Ping says telcos should shape up after Duterte’s SONA ‘threat’

It is high time telecommunications operators wake up and shape up following President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat in his State of the Nation Address, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.

But Lacson said Duterte should have also issued a similar warning to some local government executives who extort money from the telcos in exchange for licenses and “protection.”

“Telcos should treat the President’s pronouncement as a wake-up call to improve their services to the public, as one thing in the President’s statement on the issue is certain and true: that our country’s telecommunications services pale in comparison with our neighbors and with other jurisdictions in terms of speed and efficiency,” Lacson said in a statement.

On Monday, Duterte threatened to shut down telcos if they do not improve their services by December. Duterte also hinted at expropriation if they operators do not shape up.

But Lacson noted Duterte failed to issue a “similar warning to some local government unit executives” who he said extort money from the telcos.

Such money is in exchange for permits and licenses as well as “protection” from delays in the construction of such facilities, especially in areas where the presence of armed groups like the CPP-NPA is strong, he said.

On the other hand, Lacson said that while such a “threat” from Duterte had worked in the past, it remains to be seen if a government takeover of telcos is justfied and compliant with the 1987 Constitution.

“Whether the government takeover of telcos is justified and compliant with the provisions of the Constitution, given the circumstances, is another matter altogether, however,” he said.

Still, Lacson said such “threats” had worked in the past, with cases being resolved without need for long and expensive litigation.

These include Mighty’s P40-billion tax settlement; Philippine Airlines’ settling a P6-billion obligation to the government; the Mile Long property taken over by government; and the rehabilitation of Boracay, he said.

“And I would say (such ‘threat’) has therefore served its purpose, rightly or wrongly,” Lacson noted.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)