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Friday, March 29, 2024

Ejercito to get Smart guarantee

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SENATOR JV Ejercito said he would get the commitment of telecommunications giant Smart Communications to improve and upgrade its services for the next five to 10 years.

The senator, vice chairman of the Public Services Committee, said the extension of Smart’s franchise could have been easily renewed for another 25 years if there were no issues involving its services to the public.

“It’s okay to immediately give them (their franchise), but we have subscribers  and consumers  who have many issues about being short changed. I am also a subscriber who has many dropped  calls..internet has no connection and then, for a time, I also used prepaid. After loading P500, it will suddenly be lost,” related Ejercito.

While Filipinos are the heaviest users, the senator noted it was not an excuse for Smart not to give the proper service. 

He said if there were more than enough subscribers or Smart was already overloaded, it should stop issuing subscriptioms.

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“We are all being shortchanged with what we pay. Think of it, if we are affected, how much more the kasambahays and laborers who invest their hard-earned money to buy cellphone load?” said Ejercito.

“It’s their only way to unwind and to communicate with their loved ones. And what do they get in return? Load overcharging, poor signal, and slow internet,” added Ejercito, principal author of the Kasambahay Law.

He noted it was also high time Filipinos put a stop on the duopoly of Smart and Globe in the telecommunications industry. 

“We should let in a third player to encourage competition and to avoid possible collusion in expensive cellphone services.”

Ejercito said it was the legislators’ duty to voice out these complaints by millions of subscribers. 

“Otherwise, if we just approve Smart’s franchise without raising these issues, we will continue to avail [ourselves of]poor services,” he said.

Ejercito said he would ensure that Smart Communications would commit to address such problems when their officials appear in today’s continuation of the hearing. 

He warned that Smart’s franchise would expire in less than a month, and if they could not convince them of improving their services, they would not be able to get a new franchise.

“We want their commitment because we are here in Congress to make sure that the clamor of the people will reach the proper agencies. This is the only time we can discuss this issue so we have to thoroughly study this franchise application,” said Ejercito.

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