Duterte creates oversight committee for entry of 3rd telco player

President Rodrigo Duterte has created an oversight committee that will facilitate the entry of the third major player in the country's telecommunications sector.

Malacañang on Wednesday released Administrative Order No. 11 for the "Creation of an Oversight Committee for the Entry of a New Major Player in the Public Telecommunications Market."

The order was signed by Duterte and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on April 6.

The creation of the oversight committee will ensure that the entry of the new major player shall be undertaken in an integrated and transparent manner.

"We welcome it very much. It will make the selection process for the new major telco player transparent and objective, taking into consideration the concerns of stakeholders, including other government departments," Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio Jr. said in a text message sent to reporters.

The oversight committee shall be composed of representatives from the DICT, Department of Finance, Office of the Executive Secretary, and National Security Adviser. The DICT representative will be the chairperson, while the DOF representative will be the vice-chairperson.

"The DICT shall provide the necessary secretariat support to the oversight committee," AO No. 11 read.

The oversight committee shall have the following powers and functions:

• Assist the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in the formulation of the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the selection and assignment of radio frequencies to ensure consistency with the objectives of the order;
• Oversee compliance of the NTC and the other implementing agencies with the provisions of the TOR;
• Ensure timely implementation pursuant to the timeline established by DICT and NTC;
• Call upon other government agencies for assistance as the circumstances and exigencies may require;
• Exercise such incidental power as may be necessary for the proper exercise of its powers and functions herein provided

Asked if the creation of the oversight committee will affect the timeline for the awarding of the winning third telco player, Rio said: "None that we see right now. Our timeline is still with the self-imposed deadline of having a third telco player before the President's SONA (State of the Nation Address)."

Malacañang earlier said it will no longer set a deadline for the entry of a third major telco player in the country, but the DICT gave the assurance that the announcement will be made before Duterte's SONA on July 23. 

The country's telecom industry is considered a duopoly dominated by rivals PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc., prompting calls for a third telco player to improve services and lower costs for consumers. —KG, GMA News