On staggered cutbacks on free text:
Theft by installment

WHILE it welcomed the softening of Globe-Ayala and Smart-PLDT on the
text cutback issue, the texters' group TXTPOWER branded it as "theft by
installment" and asked the National Telecommunications Commission to
declare it null and void.

At the end of today's hearing by the House Committee on Transportation
and Communications, the National Telecommunications Commission received congressional support to regulate any cuts in determination of service rates, including the reduction in free text allocations for mobile phone subscribers.

"Texters everywhere should oppose this theft by installment. Its like thieves telling us that they will steal less today, only to steal the rest sometime later," said TXTPOWER Spokesperson Anthony Ian Cruz, portraying the simultaneous and similar announcements as another proof of cartel operations by Smart-PLDT and Globe-Ayala.

He said that the free text credits in call cards and postpaid subscription are not actually free with the purchase of the call cards and postpaid subscriptions. "Any reduction is theft on something we already paid for in advance, especially in the case of prepaid subscribers."

"It is important to inform the public that the NTC has been enlightened
by the House that it has the power to overrule or cast aside any increase bared by Globe-Ayala and Smart-PLDT," he said, as he warned that baseless announcements by the two firms may be used to condition the public that the cutbacks are irreversible.

"The monopolies miserably failed to justify the cutbacks in today's hearings. In fact, consumers groups like TXTPOWER crushed all their justifications," Cruz said.

Inspite of the announcement, TXTPOWER vowed to push through with its protests tomorrow, Aug. 31 in select offices of Globe-Ayala and Smart-PLDT.

"The boycott on Sept. 1 will continue because the monopoly firms Globe-Ayala and Smart-PLDT refuse to completely back out on their ill-conceived, baseless and anti-consumer plan.