WHILE welcoming President Macapagal-Arroyo’s statement of support for cellphone subscribers, the texters’ group TXTPOWER challenged Malacañang to “use the powers of the presidency in defending consumers’ against abusive monopolies like Smart and Globe, including a review of the deregulation policy in the telecommunication sector.”

“We are glad that the President warmly received the message texters sent on last Saturday’s boycott. We thank her for recognizing the need of protecting seven million cellphone subscribers who are being preyed upon by powerful monopolies in the telecommunications sector,” said TXTPOWER Spokesperson Anthony Ian Cruz.

At the same time, TXTPOWER asked the President to “provide immediate relief and long-term solutions on behalf of consumers and against abusive monopolies”. These included:
1. asking Globe and Smart to stop the reductions in free text allocations;
2. ordering the NTC to immediately act on mounting consumer complaints against the telecommunications monopolies; and
3. review the telecommunications deregulation policy as enshrined in Republic Act 7925.

“Texters badly need these measures so we hope this message to the President is received just as warmly,” Cruz said.

According to TXTPOWER, the deregulation policy has been used as a license to form monopolies and to dictate upon consumers lousy services, exorbitant rates and practices such as the cuts on free text. “In fact, deregulation is being used to justify the text cuts.”

Cruz said they are awaiting the NTC’s official reaction to the two firms’ planned text cuts as well as the upcoming Senate hearing on the issue in which they promised to participate. They are also awaiting the next meeting of the House telecommunications committee which first tackled in the issue on Aug. 30.