Friday, March 29, 2024

Cordillera folks upbeat 3rd player will bring better telco services

By Aldwin Quitasol

BAGUIO CITY ? With the impending entry of a third major telco player in the country, residents in the Cordillera region are hopeful they can soon get faster and better telecommunications services.

Photo credit: baguiocity.gov.ph

Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) chairperson and Baguio City mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said the coming of the new telecom firm will benefit subscribers in the region who have been complaining of poor signal and speed, specifically during the recent calamities when typhoons ?Ompong? and ?Rosita? ravaged North Luzon including the Cordillera.

He said the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (DRRMCs) of the different local government units in the region had slow connections during their operations.

Most parts of the Cordillera have rugged terrains and vulnerable to landslides especially during heavy rains, he noted. Access roads are also often closed because of landslides.

Domogan said he is hoping the new telco would also invest in the countryside since radio and mobile phones are the only means of communications in these areas especially during times of emergency.

Meanwhile, major telco PLDT said they recently experienced operational difficulties in the region that resulted in the slowdown in some of their telecom services.

Reynan Madayag, a service engineer at the Baguio branch of PLDT, said they have been performing 80 to 100 repairs on a daily basis. He added that they had been able to accomplish 90% of the repairs.

Madayag told this to Baguio City councilors who sought an audience with PLDT and Globe Telecom after receiving complaints from residents regarding poor Internet connections. When quizzed by city councilor Elaine Sembrano on the root of the problem, Madayag said the company is also suffering from the lack of personnel.

He said this started when the company received a cease and desist order (CDO) from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on July 1, 2018 from continuing to do business with their contractors such as Miescor.

He said that the contractor had provided them with around 86 technicians who perform installation works and maintenance or repair. According to him, aside from the contractual employees from Miescor, they have only eight regular employees consisting of four engineers and four technicians.

Madayag said the company has been trying to augment its staff by signing up more contractors, but he said the volume of request for repairs is piling up. Globe Telecom, on the other hand, has not yet responded to the invitation of the council for an inquiry.

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