DITO Telecommunity 25-Years Franchise, Approves by the Senate of the Philippines
DITO Telecommunity’s bid for the renewal of the franchise for 25 years has been approved by the Senate of the Philippines, and the next is getting President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature for final approval.
Based on Rappler’s report, this is the third and final reading of House Bill No. 7332, and the bill is to renew the telco’s franchise. The result was 17-2-1, with two senators voting NO, namely Risa Hotiveros and Kiko Pangilinan, due to fears of spying from China.
Despite the senate’s approval, the bill still cannot be sent to President Duterte for his signature. According to reports, the senators have introduced several amendments.
These include Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon’s amendment that requires the telco to submit a report to the President and Congress on disclosure of any data or information, assistance, support, or cooperation given to a foreign government and its instrumentalities.
Another is Senator Hontiveros’ amendment that requires the telco’s assigned frequencies to be subjected for review at regular intervals.
However, DITO Telecommunity launched its services in other parts of Visayas and Mindanao on March 8th. And they have a “Welcome Offer” of unlimited data, call, and text with a validity of 30Days.