Tinuligsa ni Palawan ex-officio board member Christopher Jake Tan ang Smart Communications dahil sa mahinang serbisyo nito sa mga bayan ng Cuyo, Agutaya, at Magsaysay, na aniya’y isang “burden” na nagpapahinto sa mga digital transaction mula sa paaralan, negosyo, hanggang sa mga tanggapan ng gobyerno.
Aniya, dumarami ang reklamo ng mga residente hinggil sa signal disruption na nakaaapekto sa kanilang online business transactions, kabilang ang pagtanggap ng one-time password sa mga digital bank at e-wallet.
“I refer specifically to the deplorable communication services of Smart communications. For months now, our constituents have been suffering,” ayon kay Tan sa kanyang privilege speech noong Tuesday, April 28.
“Essential services are disrupted, financial transactions fail, even something as critical as receving OTPs (one-time-password) from plaforms like GCash becomes impossible,” aniya.
Sinabi ni Tan na matagal nang problema sa lugar ang mahinang serbisyo ng telco at nananatili itong hindi nareresolba.
Hindi umano reliable ang serbisyo ng Smart, at lulubog, lilitaw ito. Madalas, bigla na lang itong nawawala at babalik lamang pagkatapos ng isang linggo o mahigit pa.
Ayon pa kay Tan, nalulugi ang mga negosyo habang may mga magulang na hindi makontak ang kanilang mga anak na nag-aaral sa labas ng bayan dahil sa tuloy-tuloy na pagkawala ng signal.
“Parents unable to contact their children, fishermen cutoff from market updates, students unable to access online learning, and small businesses losing income because transactions cannot push through,” aniya.
Hindi umano ito makatarungan dahil patuloy na nagbabayad ang prepaid at postpaid subscribers ngunit hindi nila nakukuha ang serbisyong nararapat sa kanila.
“This is not a mere inconvenience. This is a disservice,” aniya.
Sumuporta naman si Board Member Al-Nashier Ibba kay Tan, at sinabing hindi lang sa Cuyo nangyayari ang problema kundi sa buong lalawigan.
Hiniling din ni Ibba na isama ang Globe Telecom sa ipapatawag sa Provincial Board sa mga susunod na sesyon upang sagutin ang kaparehong isyu sa serbisyo.
“Hindi lang ito nangyayari sa Cuyo ‘no, [nangyayari ito sa] entire province of Palawan… talagang mahina ‘yung signal, hindi consistent, tapos sumasabay sa Paleco… ‘pag brownout ‘yung Paleco wala din silang signal,” aniya.
“Gusto ko sanang isama ‘yung ibang telecommunications.. kasama ‘yung globe kasi hindi rin consistent ‘yung kanilang signal pati ‘yung internet [service nila] ganoon din putol-putol,” aniya.
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Poor telco service slows businesses in Cuyo and nearby towns, official says
Palawan ex-officio board member Christopher Jake Tan criticized Smart Communications over its poor service in the municipalities of Cuyo, Palawan, Agutaya, Palawan, and Magsaysay, Palawan, which he described as a “burden” that stalls digital transactions in schools, businesses, and government offices.
He said complaints from residents have been increasing, particularly over signal disruptions that affect online business transactions, including the receipt of one-time passwords for digital banks and e-wallets.
“I refer specifically to the deplorable communication services of Smart communications. For months now, our constituents have been suffering,” Tan said during his privilege speech on Tuesday, April 28.
“Essential services are disrupted, financial transactions fail, even something as critical as receving OTPs (one-time-password) from plaforms like GCash becomes impossible,” he said.
Tan said the telco’s poor service has long been a problem in the area and remains unresolved.
He said Smart’s service is unreliable, with signals that come and go, often disappearing entirely and only returning after a week or more.
Tan added that businesses are losing income, while some parents are unable to contact their children studying outside town due to persistent signal outages.
“Parents unable to contact their children, fishermen cutoff from market updates, students unable to access online learning, and small businesses losing income because transactions cannot push through,” he said.
He said the situation is unfair, as prepaid and postpaid subscribers continue to pay for services but receive only a fraction or none at all.
“This is not a mere inconvenience. This is a disservice,” he said.
Board Member Al-Nashier Ibba expressed support for Tan, saying the issue is not limited to Cuyo but affects the entire province.
He also called for Globe Telecom to be included among those to be summoned before the Provincial Board in succeeding sessions to address similar service concerns.
“Hindi lang ito nangyayari sa Cuyo ‘no, [nangyayari ito sa] entire province of Palawan… talagang mahina ‘yung signal, hindi consistent, tapos sumasabay sa Paleco… ‘pag brownout ‘yung Paleco wala din silang signal,” he said.
“Gusto ko sanang isama ‘yung ibang telecommunications.. kasama ‘yung globe kasi hindi rin consistent ‘yung kanilang signal pati ‘yung internet [service nila] ganoon din putol-putol,” he said.
