Abellanosa echoes Duterte’s plea for faster internet connection in PH

Cebu City Second District Rep. Rodrigo “Bebot” Abellanosa

CEBU CITY, Philippines –If there was something that President Rodrigo Duterte said during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that he agrees with, it was the need for faster internet connection in the country, said Cebu City south district Rep. Rodrigo “Bebot” Abellanosa.

Wanting the matter immediately addressed, Abellanosa said he will initiate the filing of a bill in Congress to allow the government to take over “the construction and operation of hard infrastructure facilities such as the cell sites of all telcos.”

READ:Little girl from Tisa rants about their slow internet connection, netizens supporting her cute rant

The Cebuano legislator said that other concerns that the president raised during his more than an hour-long speech were a “mere reiteration” of what he already said in his four earlier SONA’s.

“Of the many things that the President mentioned in the SONA plenty of which are mere reiterations of his previous SONAs, I will seriously pick up for immediate legislation the issue of the very slow internet and broadband service in the country.  With the President’s firm resolve to drop the axe on the stubborn telcos, I will file a bill in Congress as soon as possible. ,” Abellanosa said.

READ: Duterte warns Smart, Globe of expropriation

His proposed bill, Abellanosa said, will seek to allow an inter-agency body that will consist of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DITC), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Local Government units to take over the construction and operation of the telcos cell sites.

“With the government’s power to expropriate land properties for public use, and with better coordination with the LGUs, the propagation and redundancy of cell sites can be greatly facilitated. These shared facilities will level the playing field for both old and new telco players, and promote competition for the best service the people deserve,” he said. / dcb