PLDT seeks government help on 300 sites

MANILA, Philippines — PLDT Inc. and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. are seeking the help of government agencies in gaining access to more than 300 sites for installations and repairs, which would pave the way for better quality and reliable services to the public.

PLDT and Smart identified areas currently inaccessible due to COVID-19 community quarantine measures located in Metro Manila and the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Palawan, Iloilo, Capiz, Samar, Misamis Oriental and Zamboanga del Norte.

“The PLDT Group would like to respectfully appeal to the DICT and DILG to direct LGUs and other concerned sectors to enjoin their immediate cooperation in granting the PLDT Group access to its facilities within their respective areas to conduct critical works,” the companies said in a letter addressed to Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.

The PLDT Group said restrictions imposed by some local government units (LGUs) due to different levels of community quarantine nationwide have impacted its performance of critical activities such as service restoration, maintenance, installation works, capacity expansion, replacement and upgrade of critical facilities, and other urgent work.

“Amid COVID-19, our services have become really essential to our countrymen. Many of our customers have been affected by the pandemic and the lockdowns, and we are here to help them get back on their feet by making sure that our quality services are always available to them,” Smart president and CEO and PLDT chief revenue officer Alfredo Panlilio said.

“We can only do this if we can continue to broaden and improve our network infrastructure,” he said.

Panlilio had earlier emphasized the importance of working with the government in improving telco services, saying that public sector initiatives to make building more towers easier and faster would be a big help to the company in terms of improving coverage.