Mislatel’s delayed rollout puzzles lawmaker
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe on Friday reiterated that there is no reason for Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. (Mislatel) Consortium, which was named the Philippines’ third major telecommunications industry player, to delay its rollout plan as both houses of Congress approved a joint resolution that backed its approval.
“Kasi alam mo, joint resolution naman ang agreement namin with the House, so hindi na kailangan pa ng [bicameral conference committee] approval,” Poe said in at the sidelines of the Go Negosyo’s Youth Entrepreneurship Summit in Pasay City.
(There was a joint resolution agreement with the House, so there is no need for a bicameral conference committee.)
READ: 3rd telco rollout plan faces new delay
On February 7, the Senate approved a resolution which recognized Mislatel’s sale of the controlling interest in the company to the consortium of Udenna Corp., Chelsea Holdings Corp. and the state-run China Telecom.
Poe, who sponsored the resolution, said that she was banking on Mislatel to keep its promise to offer 27 mbps of internet speed to 37 percent of the population in its first year of operations.
She added that there is no need for a bicameral conference committee since the Senate had concurred with the House resolution.
“Hindi ko nga alam kung bakit noon ganadong-ganado sila, tapos ngayon parang nagdadalawang-isip pa sila. Sinabi na nga namin na na-aprubahan na ang kanilang prangkisa. Wala silang problema dahil lahat ‘yan on record, nasa mga diskusyon namin,” she said.
(I am puzzled that before they were so eager, now, they appear hesitant. We already approved their franchise, there should be no problem since everything is on record.)
Under the bidding rules, Mislatel was given 90 days to meet a series of post-qualification requirements, including securing the transfer of its telco franchise, after being confirmed as the third telecommunications player on Nov. 19 last year.
The 90-day deadline, however, already lapsed on Feb. 17. / gsg
