Malacañang named China Telecom as the company which will set up the third telecommunications company in the Philippines.
This came barely a month after President Duterte offered the slot to China, citing their capability to deliver good service to the public due to their advanced technology.
According to Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, this information was revealed by Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officer-in-charge (OIC) Eliseo Rio during their recent Cabinet meeting.
However, Andanar said that China’s largest telecommunications company cannot just set up shop in the Philippines due to the Foreign Investment Act which limits foreign ownership to 40 percent.
“Kailangan maghanap ng partner sa Pilipinas na hindi pipitsugin, talagang maraming pera – eh hahabulin mo iyong Globe at saka Smart eh,” Andanar said in an interview over Super Radyo DzBB.
He said that China Telecom should also look for a partner with an existing telecommunications franchise as required by Philippine laws.
The Palace official, however, assured that the setting up of the third telecommunications player in the country will not take long as he noted that even President is backing this endeavor.
“Minamadali na ito ng gobyerno natin sapagka’t habang tumatagal eh nabubuwisit ang mga kababayan natin sa mga drop calls at mabagal na Internet,” Andanar said.
“So ang Presidente mismo eh binuksan niya na ang pintuan ng bansa natin na magkaroon ng third player,” he added.
Andanar was referring to the bilateral meeting of Duterte and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang last month where the Chief Executive made the offer to the Chinese government. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
