Trillanes claims gov’t favored Mislatel as 3rd telco because of its officials’ “contributions” to Duterte’s presidential campaign

Mislatel reiterates it went through the proper process

Officials of Mislatel Consortium and of the Department of Information and Communications Technology faced members of the Senate committee on public services on Thursday, Jan. 24./Meanne Corvera/Eagle News/

(Eagle News) — Mislatel on Thursday, Jan. 24, reiterated it went through the proper process before it was chosen as the country’s third telco player, even as opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes claimed the consortium had been favored  by the government.

In a statement read before the Senate committee on public services, Dennis Uy, chairman of Udenna and Chelsea Logistics, which, together with China Telecom, and Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. comprise the consortium, said Mislatel “went through the process of preparing for the bid for almost a year.”

“Kami po ay dumaan sa butas ng karayom hangga’t mapili po kami ng National Telecommunications Commission bilang new mayor player sa telecom sector,” he said.

“We want to assure the committee and the public na walang nilabag na kahit anong rules ang Mislatel at gagawin namin ang lahat para protektahan ang interes at siguridad ng Pilipinas,” he added.

During the hearing, Trillanes  said Mislatel consortium was preferred over the others vying as the country’s third telco player because its officials contributed to the campaign kitty of President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to Trillanes, the following gave their contributions:

  • Dennis Uy, chairman of Udenna and Chelsea Logistics – P30 million
  • Cherylyn Uy, wife of Dennis Uy and treasurer of Udenna and Chelsea Logistics – P 1 million
  • Efren E. Uy – board member of Chelsea Logistics – P 3.5 million
  • Chryss Alfonsus Damuy, the officer-in-charge of Udenna Corp. and president and CEO of Chelsea Logistics – P500,000
  • Ma. Henedina V. San Juan – corporate secretary of Udenna and Chelsea Logistics – P400,000
  • Ignacia S. Braga IV – vice president for finance of Udenna and Chelsea Logistics – P150,000

The Department of Information and Communications Technology has already denied it favored Mislatel over the others.

In Thursday’s hearing,Eliseo Rio, acting DICT chief, said Mislatel was also able to address all four concerns identified during the selection process. With a report from Meanne Corvera