Malacañang seeks compromise on common tower issue

MANILA, Philippines — Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles has expressed confidence the administration would be able to find a “common ground” on the proposed construction of common towers for telecommunications.

Nograles weighed on the proposals of Presidential Adviser on Economic Affairs and Information Technology Communications Ramon Jacinto and Department of Information and Communications Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio, who have differing ideas on the matter.

“There may be differing perspectives regarding this issue, but the goal of the administration remains the same: to encourage the construction of more telecommunications towers so that telco services are reliable and secure,” he said.

“The President and his alter-egos in the Cabinet are all working for the common good, and whatever policy is eventually adopted will be guided by that precept,” Nograles said.

Nograles explained that at present, the country’s two telcos have put up close to 20,000 towers – less than half of the estimated 50,000 towers the country needs to provide consumers with dependable telco services.

“The blind spots, dropped calls, missing text messages, and slow data speeds are a consequence of this problem,” he said.

“No matter how high-tech your smartphones are, until this need is addressed and towers are not added, this problem will not go away,” Nograles added.

He noted that Jacinto and Rio have acknowledged the need to build more towers to improve telco services, especially with the entry of a third telco player. 

Rio favors allowing five companies to build the towers, while Jacinto initially recommended that two companies be permitted to construct the much-needed telco infrastructure. 

On Friday, Jacinto modified his position and is now is now willing to allow up to four tower providers to operate.

Nograles said that the Cabinet is focused not just on finalizing the tower policy, “but in laying the groundwork so that the necessary permits for the construction of these towers can be secured at the soonest possible time.”

According to Nograles, tower builders would need to secure 25 permits to construct a telco tower, and measures like the recently passed Ease of Doing Business Law would compel agencies “to speed the process up.”

“Telco towers are vital infrastructure and are an integral part of the government’s Build Build Build program. It will generate thousands of jobs and bring in billions of pesos’ worth of investments,” he said.

“We have to keep in mind that equally important with new highways connecting our country’s towns are the information superhighways connecting our country to the world – as these are needed by millions of Filipinos who want to take advantage of the web-based economic opportunities and the new law that allow telecommuting to work.”

The President signed Republic Act 11165 or the Telecommuting Act on Dec. 20, 2018. The law institutionalizes “telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement for employees in the private sector.”

Telecommuting refers to a work arrangement that allows an employee in the private sector to work from an alternative work place with the use of telecommunication or computer technologies.