Drilon expresses concern over Dito’s proposed set up inside military camps

MANILA, Philippines—Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said on Saturday that he doesn’t approve of Dito Telecommunity Corporation’s  proposed set up inside military camps, citing its foreign ownership and the dangers that could come with its construction.

Drilon said in an interview with DWIZ that he was concerned that Dito, whose 40% ownership stake is with the Chinese government, will be allowed to construct its telecom towers on military land and not on non-government plots.

“Ang Dito, ang kumpanyang iyan ay may investment ang Republic of China, foreign company, hindi natin alam kung sino ang magpapatakbo. Ingatan natin. Ako hindi ko pabor na diyan ilagay sa mga military camps,” said Drilon.

“Marami namang lupain na libre. Kaya ako hindi ako pabor diyan. Iyan ay nakakatakot, just to be candid about it.”

(Dito is a company that has an investment with the Republic of China, it’s a foreign company, and we don’t know who will operate it. We should be careful about this. I’m not in favor of them putting up cell sites on military camps. There are plots of land that are vacant out there. That’s why I’m not in favor of this set up.)

DITO, formerly Mislatel of Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company, is a consortium of Davao businessman Dennis Uy’s, a close ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, Udenna Corporation and its subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Corporation, and Chinese state-owned China Telecommunications Corporation.

Senator Ralph Recto also voiced his opposition against Dito’s construction inside military camps.

Moreover, Dito will pay its rent to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in kind, either through trainings and equipment, and not in cash.

“Hindi ko maintidihan bakit sa kampo militar. (I don’t understand why inside military camps.),” said Drilon. “Why the insistence on including military camps?”