The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. has apologized to President Rodrigo Duterte for the shortage of available lines for Hotline 8888, the citizens’ complaint line pushed by the administration.
Duterte has threatened to shut down PLDT Inc. if the country’s largest telecommunications company fails to add trunk a to 8888.
Hotline 8888 serves as the Filipinos’ direct line to Malacañang for complaints.
It was launched in August 2016, aimed at hearing the grievances of ordinary Filipinos, with the Presidential Action Center and Civil Service Commission were tasked to handle the complaints.
The President was discussing his anti-corruption efforts at a PDP-Laban campaign rally in Cebu City on Sunday when he called for an effective implementation of the complaint hotline.
“We apologize for that. We are glad that the President called our attention to it,” PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said in a statement.
Pangilinan added: “It’s a bit more complicated than what it appears. Apparently, the 8888 is really a call center operation for both telcos.Twenty lines each. We’re supposed to provide the lines, which we have provided but the lines are not manned properly, undermanned so not all the calls are getting answered.”
“So we’re gonna put more lines than the 20 mandated in the contract with the government, and we will man it. We will forget what the agreement said so we will increase the number of lines to accommodate the calls and we will man it ourselves. So we are responding to the President’s criticism,” he said.
Duterte told his audience in Cebu: “If you see corruption, tell me. Call 8888. Bong [former Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go], add another trunk line.”
“The present setup can’t accommodate all the calls. It’s always busy. Tell PLDT. If not, I’ll shut down their business,” The President added, drawing laughter from the audience.
Duterte said he didn’t want to brag, but PLDT “owes government eight billion [pesos]. No President has ever asked for payment. But when I became President, I said…”
Earlier, Ramon Isberto, PLDT head of public affairs, said: “We are currently taking steps to address the concern expressed by the President to improve the public’s access to the Citizen’s Complaint Center 8888 hotline number.” With Nat Mariano