Minority bloc cautions vs entry of China telco

Minority bloc solons have called on government to reconsider the entry of a China-based telecommunications company amid the brewing West Philippine Sea row.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Minority Floor Leader and Quezon 3rd District Rep. Danilo Suarez said they are urging government to look into the presence of Chinese companies in vital utility areas, such as power generation, before awarding the third telco player contract to China Telecom.

“If you can recall, our electricity is now owned by China Power. Lahat ng kuryente natin, grid, ang may-ari niyan, although may mga Filipino nominee, at the end of the day it’s all China Power,” Suarez said.

“Of course we’re not foolish enough to go into a full-scale confrontation with China, but if the Americans will go against China, then we can be involved,” he explained.

He also added that allowing a foreign company, in this case from China, would also leave the country’s current telecom providers vulnerable to interruptions, whether done on purpose or not.

“So kanila na ‘yong kuryente, now comes the telecom. Kung papasok ang China Telecom, they will be the third player. There is no recourse but to interconnect in their mainframe, kailangan, paano kayo magkaka-tawagan kung hindi kayo connected sa mainframe?” Suarez asked.

“So, kung sakaling magkaroon ng hindi magandang relation at sinabing, rambolin mo ‘yang mainframe ng Smart saka Globe, pare-pareho tayong walang signal. That’s the scenario, it’s doable,” he added.

The National Telecommunications Communication (NTC) earlier said that of the companies that had placed their bids to become the country’s third telco player, only the consortium of China Telecom, Udenna Corp., and Chelsea Logistics Holding Corp. qualified.