Globe chief faces Duterte, airs telcos' grievances

Facing President Rodrigo Duterte during a Cabinet meeting, Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu explained the difficulties telecommunications companies face in securing permits to build towers or cell sites.

During his televised address aired Friday morning, Duterte quipped that he will hang Cu in one of their towers.

“Sabi niya (Cu), ‘You cannot do that because there is no tower.’ The local governments are all fucking it up that’s why,” the President said.

During his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered last Monday, Duterte threatened Globe and Smart Communications that their properties will be expropriated by the government if they fail to improve their services by December. 

Cu, during the meeting, told the President that “we are suffering from many, many years of this before your administration, many administrations.”

The Globe chief noted that securing 25 to 29 permits to build one telecommunications tower takes about eight months.

“Tapos marami pa ho kaming miscellaneous fees po, iba-ibang klaseng tower fee, meron kami special use permit. Hindi ho namin ma-strandardize po ‘yan,” Cu complained.

He added that it becomes uncertain how many towers the company can build compared to their target “sa dami ng permit na required para makarating kami sa stage na ready to build.”

“Isipin niyo lang ho ‘yun, sir, kung nag-apply kami ng 5,000 towers times 28 or 30 permits... ilang libong permit ang kukunin namin para makapag-umpisa?” Cu said.

Duterte, in response, said, “It’s really corruption.” He then ordered his Cabinet to employ the “most drastic measure you can find.”

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, for his part, said the Department of the Interior and Local Government signed a joint memorandum circular with concerned departments and agencies to shorten the process of securing permits for building telco towers.

“Dati kailangan pa ng homeowners association resolution, kailangan ng Sanguniang Bayan resolution, wala na po ‘yun. Sixteen to 20 days na lang para lahat ng permit ay tatakbo,” Año said.

“Ang mga LGUs at ibang ahensya ay susunod para ma-approve ang licenses at clearance,” he added.

The Anti-Red Tape Authority has formed a special task force to monitor and strictly enforce the compliance of agencies, particularly of local government units, with a joint memorandum circular that streamlines the permitting process for construction of telco towers.

On July 23, the ARTA and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) led the signing of Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 01-2020, along with the DILG, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Transportation-Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of Health-Food and Drug Administration, and Department of Public Works and Highways.

The said government departments and agencies are involved in the permitting process for the telco towers.

Under the JMC, the processing time for permits of telco towers has been cut down to approximately 16 days from an average of eight months across national government agencies (NGAs) and LGUs.

The circular also reduced the number of documentary requirements required from 86 to just 35. —KBK, GMA News