September 6, 2001

"Globe-Ayala and Smart-PLDT should make up their minds. And they should not fault consumers for asserting our rights against abuses.

"Last week, they claimed that the NTC has no jurisdiction over the 'free' text reductions because the market is deregulated under Republic Act 7925. Now, after being hailed to court, they are singing a different tune. They are now saying that the NTC is the proper forum.

"It is getting clear that the two firms are going nuts over the public relations disaster that they themselves spawned, which came after a much-assailed and patently baseless reduction in free text. We are planning more actions in order to attain a permanent stop to

"We would like to point out that Smart-PLDT and Globe-Ayala are singing a different tune and they are singing it together, in brazen oligopolistic fashion.

“The court would also be well-advised to take note any possible conspiracy or collusion by the lawyers of Globe-Ayala and Smart-PLDT in trying to defeat the case against them. They did it again in brazen oligopolistic fashion

“Its no different from the way the oligopoly charge consumers similar exorbitant rates and lousy services and the manner of announcing the ‘free’ text cuts and the way they later proposed a staggered implementation of the same scheme.

"While the legal eagles of the oligopolists are trying their very best to stem the consumers' revolt, we renew our challenge to Congress to review the deregulation policy in the telecommunications sector. This policy has been used to dictate on the consumers exorbitant rates, lousy services and arbitrary plans like the cuts on free text. Abusive companies should be made to respect consumer rights."