Duterte names RJ Jacinto DICT undersecretary

President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed musician and businessman Ramon “RJ” Jacinto as undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Tuesday.

The Palace announcement came days after Duterte accepted the resignation of DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr., who had been at odds with Jacinto over the rules governing the shared use of telecommunications towers or the common tower policy.

“We are confident that Usec. Jacinto will serve DICT with dedication and integrity and will contribute to achieving the department's mandate under the current administration,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

The DICT has been working on a common tower policy since 2018.

It was originally envisioned to be finalized in the second quarter of 2019, but concerns on how many players should be accommodated hampered the policy’s release.

Last year, Jacinto said the government needed to accredit only two common tower companies.

Jacinto has since taken the position of accommodating up to four common tower providers, but maintained that existing telcos be prohibited from building their own infrastructure.

The DICT, however, said that the market would dictate how many common tower providers should be accredited.

Prior to his appointment, Jacinto was Duterte’s adviser on economic affairs and ICT. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News