Duterte to telcos: Can you do a better job?

September 29, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed hope that telecommunications companies in the country could provide better services, especially with the opening of classes in October.

In a taped televised message on Monday night, Duterte said students will be relying on their Internet connections when classes resume since face-to-face classes are prohibited due to coronavirus pandemic.

"With the classes going to start, our students now will rely heavily on the use of electronics. I cannot discuss specific gadgets because I'm really ignorant about it. I must confess," he said.

But Duterte acknowledged that "very poor" services of telcos in the country are the "eternal complaint."

"Far and wide in between the years of its introduction, the telco from the beginning or the telcos right from the beginning were already being complained of as not delivering the money's worth of the people," he said.

"I don't know how to go about this but I may just appeal to the telecommunications, can you do a better job? Is there life after this kind of service that you are delivering to the public?" he added.

Duterte said it really pisses him off that there is really no end on the complaints against telcos' services.

Duterte said he was not sure if the problem was with the telcos themselves or the local government units which give the companies a hard time to build towers.

"Whether it's because of the absence of the towers, they are not allowed to build or erected, or the telcos have no capacity to invest more," he said.

He urged Congress to enact a law that would further ease doing business in the country, including the improvement of telco services.

"I want Congress to know that I’m ready to appear there in Congress and discuss with them, but they should allow me to talk first then discuss how we can cut corruption. Simplify the Ease of Doing Business. I have some recommendation, almost radical," he said.

Duterte earlier ordered Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Ano to file charges against local officials who have been delaying the issuance of permits for the construction of telco towers. Celerina Monte/DMS