Duterte sets up third telco oversight committee

Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has established an oversight committee to support his ongoing goal of attracting a third telco player into the market.

The president has signed an administrative order establishing the committee, which will work to ensure that the entry of a new major player into the telecom market is undertaken in “an integrated and transparent manner.”

The committee will consist of a representative from the department of ICT as a chairperson, from the department of finance as a vice-chair, from the Office of the Executive Secretary and from the National Security Adviser.

It will be tasked with assisting regulator NTC with the formulation of terms of reference for the selection and assignment of radio frequencies to the proposed new player and oversee timely implementation of the third telco policy.

The committee will also have the power to call on government agencies for assistance if needed.

Duterte has been pushing for some time to introduce a third player to break the PLDT-Globe duopoly. The ICT department has previously indicated plans to hold a “beauty contest” selection process some time this year, and Duterte has been courting Chinese operators to take a minority interest in the proposed new player.

But the government has missed its deadline of ensuring a third player was up and running by March, and has now moved this deadline until the end of June or July.