Palace asks Globe, PLDT-Smart to submit report on service improvement

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is calling on telecommunication companies to submit their respective progress report on improving their services as the December deadline imposed by President Duterte nears.

During his State of the Nation Address in July, Duterte warned Globe Telecom and PLDT Smart to shape up by December or face expropriation.

“I would like to invite both companies to submit to us iyong mga bagong towers na naitayo na nila. And I really want them to commit kung kailan sila magkakaroon ng mas mabuting serbisyo,” Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque said in a televised Palace press briefing Tuesday.

(I would like to invite both companies to submit to us their report on the new towers they have put up. And I really want them to commit when we are going to have better services.)

Duterte issued the threat as the third carrier in the industry, China-backed DITO Telecommunity, prepares for its rollout.

It also comes as businesses, schools, and government offices turn to digital operation amid movement restrictions due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. [ac]