Press Release
January 22, 2019

POE PANEL RESUMES SENATE HEARING ON THIRD TELCO JAN. 24

Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate public services committee, will resume hearing on the third telco on Thursday, Jan. 24.

The committee's third public hearing set at 10 a.m. at the Senate Session Hall has been called to tackle the compliance of the winning bidder after the 90-day review process.

"We hope that this third telco lives up to its promise to improve the telco services in the country because there will be more competition in the industry. Gusto talaga nating magtagumpay ang third telco pero kaakibat nito, dapat mapawi ang mga agam-agam ukol sa seguridad ng ating bansa," Poe asserted.

Last November, the government chose Mislatel Consortium composed of Davao-based businessman Dennis A. Uy's Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics and Chinese state-owned China Telecommunications Corp. Mislatel committed to deliver 27 megabits per second of minimum average broadband speed in its first year before upgrading to 55 Mbps in the next four years. Mislatel had said it would spend at least P257 billion for infrastructure.

Poe expects Uy to attend Thursday's hearing. Her panel had invited Uy to the previous two hearings.

The public services committee also invited Presidential adviser for economic affairs and ICT Ramon "RJ" Jacinto, Acting Sec. Eliseo Rio Jr. of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba of the National Telecommunications Commission, Sec. Fortunato dela Peña of the Department of Science and Technology, Chairperson Arsenio Balisacan of the Philippine Competition Commission, Armed Forces Chief of staff General Benjamin Madrigal Jr., National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., and other stakeholders.

Poe's committee also called cable TV operators to attend the hearing following Rio's pronouncement that one of the ways Mislatel can comply with its commitments is to use the existing facilities of CATV players.

The Senate panel is also inviting Pampanga-based businessman Dennis Anthony H. Uy, owner of telco provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. who has been reported to have expressed interest in teaming up with Mislatel to support the third telco's operations.

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