Globe urges LGUs to ease permit process

With the community quarantine further highlighting the need for connectivity, Globe Telecom Inc. is urging local government units (LGUs) to rethink their permit procedures to allow telecommunication companies to build more cell sites.

Globe said several LGUs had rejected telecom construction due to various reasons prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 crisis.

“We appeal to LGUs, especially the barangay leaders, to rethink the way they view permits to enable building the right amount of infrastructure to best serve their constituents. If they allow just one oppositor in a barangay to stop the permitting process, then it’s a disservice to the entire city, not just the barangay,” Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo said. “Homeowners associations are likewise a source of delay and inevitable loss of connectivity. Homeowners should stop using arguments about health risks because for many years these arguments have already been laid to rest by the World Health Organization, the same institution we rely on today with the ongoing pandemic,” Castelo said.

Acording to Globe, demand for internet services in the country has increased, especially in residential areas for many reasons.

Among them are employees working from home, students doing e-learning,

entertainment and streaming videos to stay connected with friends and family, ordering food and shopping online, using digital payments and online banking.

“The internet has become an essential part of our new way of life, especially with the prospects of the new normal like work from home and e-learning. It is imperative especially these times of the new normal that we start addressing the challenges in building cell sites so we can provide the first world internet quality we all aspire for,”

Castelo said.

Globe said the Philippines suffers from having very low site density compared to other countries due to lack of cell sites in relation to the number of internet users.

It said that this is one of the major reasons why internet speed in many countries is faster compared to the Philippines.

The country is behind India, China, Indonesia and Vietnam when it comes to cell sites to internet users ratio.

The Ayala-led telco, however, cited the support and foresight of some LGUs who have been spearheading the movement toward digitalization of their communities such as Makati, Manila, Pasig, San Juan, Cainta, Baguio, San Juan Del Monte in Bulacan, and Iloilo.

It said provinces such as Pangasinan, La Union and Bataan have also taken the first steps in uplifting the digital experience of their residents.

“We remain hopeful that more LGUs will realize the need to fast-track information and communication technology network expansion. The new normal demands better connection, better service and better experience as more people stay at home to work. Continuing to do otherwise is a great disservice to the Filipino people,” Castelo said.