Group wants presidential adviser Jacinto probed over stand on common tower policy

Advocacy group Filipino League of Advocates for Good Governance (FLAG) has urged the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) to investigate presidential adviser Ramon "RJ" Jacinto over his stand on the common tower policy.

In a letter addressed to the commission, FLAG founder Ed Cordevilla said that Jacinto should be placed under investigation for conflict of interest "and for illegally pushing for a duopoly" in the tower construction sector.

This comes as Jacinto, as Presidential Adviser for Economic Affairs and Information Technology Communications, proposed that there should initially be only two tower companies registered with the government.

This was opposed by FLAG, which said that there is a need for more given the estimated need of an additional 50,000 cell towers to serve 113 million subscribers in the country.

"While President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s IT bright boys are hell-bent in the move to break the telcos' duopoly in the country, here comes Usec. Jacinto’s bid to create a duopoly in the tower construction business," the group said.

"And Usec. Jacinto is pushing hard for his duopoly plan unmindful of its legal and moral ramification," it elaborated.

According to FLAG, Jacinto's proposal counters the Philippine Competition Act (PCA) as it will lessen competition, and pushing for a duopoly in tower companies violates the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

"Usec. Jacinto cannot easily turn his back on the moral implication of his duopoly proposal because it is of public knowledge that his family is [in the] steel manufacturing business and that tower construction is 100% steel-based project," it said.

'No relation'

In response, Jacinto said there is nothing to investigate, calling the complaint a "desperate move."

"There is nothing to investigate. There is no relation between telco towers and broadcast towers of our radio and TV stations. No conflict of interest. And these are only guidelines," Jacinto said in a text message.

"This is a desperate move of Globe to discredit the Common Tower Policy of the President," he added.

Jacinto earlier butted heads with Globe Telecom Inc. counsel Froilan Castelo during the public consultation on the common tower policy.

Castelo raised concerns about having a tower company independent of the incumbent telcos, which is mandated under the draft policy that states telcos must not own equity in the tower firms.

In his statement, Jacinto defended his proposal of only two tower companies initially for a properly regulated rollout.

"An unregulated rollout will invite chaos and affect the viability of the Common Tower company which Globe is hoping for so it can scuttle the Common Tower idea," he said.

"Can you imagine if you open up the Common Tower to anybody, what will stop the corrupt mayors and LGU officials who give our permits from forming their own tower companies and deny the competent ones?" he added.

Sought for comment, Globe said it has no connection with the recent complaint filed against Jacinto. 

"Globe has nothing to do with the complaint filed by Filipino League of Advocates for Good Governance," it said. 

"Globe has long been supportive of the government's proposal to put up tower companies in order to overcome the circuitous approval process of deploying telco infrastructure," it elaborated. — BM, GMA News