(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte gave telecommunication companies until December to improve their services, or government might just take over to provide Filipinos with better communication services.
During his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27, Duterte called on “communication companies to improve their services, or we would be forced to take drastic steps for the less than clear services that the public is getting from you.”
He urged the companies to improve and add capitalization if needed, and warned that his government would be ready to expropriate them.
“Go and look for it. Maghanap kayo, because if you are not ready to improve, I might just as well close all of you, and we will revert back to the line, telephone at kukunin ko yan, i-expropriate ko sa gobyerno,” he said.
“I’ll be straight, itong Smart and Globe, ilang taon na ito? At ang sagot palagi sa akin, ‘the party cannot be reached’,” the President said.
“And kung ganun lang naman, ibigay nyo sa amin,” he said.
-Filipino people’s patience wearing thin-
“We are the republic of a sovereign country. Bear that in mind, because the patience of the Filipino people is reaching its limit, and I will be the one to articulate the anger of the Filipino people,” Duterte said.
“And you might not want what I intend to do with you,” he said.
“Kindly improve your services before December. I want to call Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, better have that line cleared,” he said.
The President said that if by December, the telecommunication companies had not improved their services, the government is prepared to take over.
Duterte said he still has two years to improve telecommunication services, a public service which he said that the Filipino people deserve.
“The next two years will be spent improving the telecommunication services in this country without you,” he said.
“I will find a way. I will talk to Congress and find a way how to do it,” the President added.
(Eagle News Service)
