NTC junks PT&T, Sear appeals on third telco selection

MANILA, Philippines — The National Telecommunications Commission's selection committee has denied a motion for reconsideration filed by the Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (PT&T) on its disqualification from bidding to be the country's third telecommunications company.

The NTC panel also junked Sear Telecomunications Consortium's appeal seeking to declare Mislatel Consortium — the lone bidder found qualified — guilty of misrepresentation of facts and concealing material evidence in the bidding .

READ: China firm, Dennis Uy group win 3rd telco license 

According to a BusinessWorld report, PT&T said that the NTC's alleged deficiency in not fulfilling the requirement of operating on a national scale was not applied equally to Mislatel, the winning bidder. 

“The interpretation is erroneous because there is no distinction between foreign and local company in the terms of reference insofar as the applicability of the term ‘regional operations’ is concerned. This is clearly discriminatory against Filipino telco companies,” PT&T said on Friday.

The Sear consortium, headed by Ilocos politician Chavit Singson,  added that the denial was a "rushed resolution." The said in a statement that the "commission washed its hands and regarded its grounds as a private dispute."

The winning bidder is a consortium of Dennis Uy's Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics and China Telecom. China Telecom is the ninth largest telecommunications company in the world, according to the 2017 Forbes Global 2000 list. It's also the third biggest mobile service provider in China. 

READ: A quick look at the three firms that submitted bids to be third telco 

Critics have claimed Uy's friendship with Duterte had influenced the bidding. Uy had also donated at least P35 million to his campaign. 

But Palace officials called the claim "baseless." Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said during a radio interview on Sunday that the "bidding for the third telco has been transparent." 

He called Uy "a person who really perservered" and "one of the newest tycoons that we have in Philippine business." 

READ: Palace: 3rd telco bidding transparent

Andanar, in December 2017, initially said China Telecom had been chosen as the third telco, but later walked back comments, saying the opportunity was open to all other firms.

"Whoever can provide the best offer, the most viable offer, the most juicy offer will be the third player of the telecommunication industry of the Philippines," he said later that month.