‘Bilasang’ mobile alerts ng telcos binira

Binanatan kahapon ng may-akda ng Free Disaster Mobile Alerts Law ang telecommunication companies sa atrasadong pagpapadala ng mobile alerts.

Hiniling ni Bayan Muna chairman at dating Rep. Neri Colmenares sa Globe at Smart na ayusin ang kanilang pagtalima sa Republic Act 10639 o Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act, na nilagdaan ni dating Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino noong Hunyo 20,2014.

Ipinaliwanag niya na nitong nakaraang Biyernes, ang mobile alert sa orange rainfall warning dakong 2 a.m. ay dumating ng 4 a.m., habang ang 5 a.m. orange rainfall text alert ay dumating ng 8 a. m.

“Bilasa na yung alert kapag dumadating e. Sa halip na makatulong ay nakakainis yung nangyayari,” ipinahayang niya.

“The purpose of the law is to help to preserve lives and property but with the lateness of the alerts the objective is being defeated. We hope that Globe and Smart would improve their service especially since lives are at stake here,” dugtong niya.

Inoobliga ng RA 10639 ang telecommunication service providers na magpadala ng mga libreng mobile alerts sa panahon ng natural at man-made disasters at mga kalamidad.

Sa napipintong pagtama ng bagyo, baha, tsunami, o iba pang mga kalamidad, inaatasan ang mobile phone service providers na magpdala ng alerts sa regular intervals alinsunod sa National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) at Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) at iba pang mga kaugnay na ahensiya.

“When we authored the law, the purpose was for the text alerts to contain a description of the disaster, and during the disaster the evacuation centers. After the disaster the text should contain the location of relief distribution, but text messages do not contain important infoemation as intended by the law,” ani Colmenares.

Sa ilalim ng batas, ang alerts ay dapat na binubuo ng up-to-date information mula sa mga kaugnay na ahensiya at direktang ipapadala sa mobile phone subscribers na nasa malapit o sa loob ng apektadong mga lugar.

“They should fast track the improvement of their service or face another law suit on top of the case for the text refund on their overcharging consumers for interconnection charges,” babala ni Colmenares.