NTC Commissioner Atty. Gamaliel Cordoba. Senate PRIB Photo (FILE)
MANILA, Philippines — The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Tuesday urged local government units and homeowners associations to allow entry of telecommunications personnel in their areas to help ensure steady internet connection especially during the time of quarantine.
NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba made the appeal after the agency received reports from telco companies that their technical field personnel tasked to lay out connections or do repair work on fixed broadband access cabinets are being denied entry to some areas by staff of LGUs and gated villages.
He noted the importance of steady internet connection since many businesses have directed employees to work from home under the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and other areas in Visayas and Mindanao, which was imposed to curb the further spread of the coronavirus disease.
“Having steady and efficient internet access in the coming weeks is absolutely necessary. I appeal to LGUs and HOAs [Homeowners Associations] to allow telco personnel easy entry into their communities to ensure that we have dependable internet connection in the coming days,” he said.
Cordoba added that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases has made it clear that personnel from telecommunications companies are exempted from the quarantine to ensure that telco services like video calls, text, calls, and data services remain operational.
“The telco personnel out in the field are also frontliners. They are doing their job so you can stay safe at home. We need to allow them access to your areas to either connect new homes to the internet or fix technical issues. They need all our support and cooperation,” he explained.
He described telecommunications in this time of crisis as “one of our lifelines.”
“Having internet at home or mobile data allows us to keep updated with the current COVID-19 crisis and helps us get connected with our loved ones. Online grocery or food shopping, banking, study, consultation with medical experts, and entertainment are also some of the vital uses of the internet today,” he said.
In emphasizing the need for internet access, Cordoba also noted that the Business Processes Outsourcing (BPO) industry, a consistent pillar of the economy and a steady source of employment to many Filipinos, has also required their employees to work from home.