Salceda lauds Marcos’ EO streamlining internet, telco infra construction

MANILA, Philippines — Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda has hailed the current administration’s move to issue an executive order which expedites the permitting process for the internet and telecommunications infrastructure.

Last July 4, Executive Order (EO) No. 32 was signed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., which covers all national government agencies and instrumentalities involved in issuing permits, licenses, clearances, certifications, and authorizations.

In a statement on Sunday, Salceda, who also heads the ways and means committee, said he has filed House Bill (HB) 8534, which seeks “to amend the Building Code to require condominiums to reserve spaces for telecommunications facilities.”

“The expedited tower permitting policy boosted internet speeds between 2020 and 2022 by 140 percent while reducing prices by as much as 41 percent. Rarely do we do something right by way of policy. And it’s an excellent move on the part of President Bongbong Marcos that he saw the wisdom in reviving it,” Salceda said.

Under HB 8534: “Buildings or structures and property developments shall be provided, as part of mandatory basic requirements, telecommunications or ICT infrastructure in accordance to the relevant technical specifications and requirements defined by the industry and/or latest Philippine electronics codes.”

“Telecom services are now as basic as plumbing. That was certainly the case with the pandemic. And that is now the case with work-from-home arrangements. In Metro Manila alone, there are at least 160,000 condominium units, housing close to 1 million people – mainly working-class families, students, or young professionals in greatest need of fast and reliable internet,” Salceda said.

“High concentrations of people within limited spaces can be taxing on telecommunications services, especially on bandwidth, unless adequate provision is given for telecommunications facilities. Without specific mandates to ensure digital connectivity in such complexes, the ability of internet service providers and other telecommunications service providers to deliver to their clients will be significantly hampered,” he added.

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