Konektadong Pinoy bill nears lapse; IRR input seen as next option for telcos

TELECOMMUNICATIONS (telcos) companies PLDT Inc. and Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. said they are willing to offer input on the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Konektadong Pinoy bill, in the event it lapses into law, as a way to address industry concerns.

“There are a lot of options, of course, [which PLDT can explore]. Our first option is the IRR. That is what we are looking at,” PLDT Inc. Chief Legal Counsel Joan de Venecia-Fabul told reporters on Monday.

“We do not know what will happen with the legal challenge. We are looking at a cooperative approach with DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology) to see how the IRR can be crafted in such a way that it will address the industry’s concerns,” she said.

“We are not yet in a position to say what legal remedies, but we are actively studying all [options] because ultimately we want to support the goal of the President, especially for greater connectivity,” she added.

For its part, Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dennis Anthony H. Uy said that the company is hopeful that the private sector will be tapped for the crafting of the Konektadong Pinoy IRR.

“About Konektadong Pinoy, I fully support it because the more the player, the better for the consumers. The more you open up, the better. The private sector needs to work with the government to support the IRR to be strong; every angle should be protected,” he told reporters.

This comes after PLDT said last week it would challenge the Konektadong Pinoy bill in court if it becomes law, citing concerns over the measure’s constitutionality.

The bill, which aims to increase internet access by relaxing regulations and allowing more entrants into the data transmission industry, has been opposed by telecommunications companies.

The measure was transmitted to the Palace for President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s signature last month and is expected to lapse into law on Aug. 24.

Globe President and CEO Carl Raymund R. Cruz said the company maintains its stance that the measure should be vetoed and sent back to Congress to incorporate feedback from industry stakeholders.

“[We support] the ambition of the bill in terms of the underlying objectives, which is to provide affordable universal access, to expand and improve the network, but as we have indicated, we cannot support the bill in its current state or form,” Mr. Cruz told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Monday.

“We are hoping, from an industry lens, that the President sends it back so we can have inputs into the proposed measure as an industry moving forward.”

Information and Communication Technology Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda said his department remains confident that Mr. Marcos will sign the proposed measure into law.

“He supports it. The Konektadong Pinoy bill is not against telcos. It is pro-consumer,” Mr. Aguda said.

He added that telecommunications companies have the right to legally challenge the measure if it is enacted or lapses into law.

DITO Telecommunity Corp. earlier said it supports the industry’s call for a level playing field, emphasizing that new entrants should follow the same rules as existing players.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — A.E.O. Jose