Malacañang has accepted the reality that a third telecommunications company will not be able to set up shop in the country in March as President Rodrigo Duterte wanted.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the President did not set a new deadline this time but he wants the third telco firm to start operating “as soon as possible.”

The Chief Executive had said he wants the third telco firm to be operational by the end of the first quarter.





“Whether or not [Duterte] is happy, that is the reality. What can he do? At least he prompted that actual steps be undertaken leading to the announcement in June,” Roque said.

“Had he not exercise the political will, we would still have bickering from the two duopoly and machinations and orchestrations against the third telecom,” he added.

In February, Information and Communications Technology officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio Jr. said the bid submission deadline for the third telco will be moved to April 18 because there may be no bidders if the March deadline is not moved.

Roque said that while Duterte did not approve of the extension, the turn of events will eventually make it necessary to move the deadlines.

“I think we are overtaken by events. As far as I know, OIC Rio had to move the deadlines because it is physically impossible to meet them,” he explained.

In a bid to “break the existing duopoly” in the country, Duterte in November offered China the “privilege” to operate a third telco company in the Philippines.

Philippine Long-Distance Telephone (PLDT), Inc., chaired by Filipino tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, and Globe Telecom, Inc. hold the majority of radio frequencies in the country.

Duterte earlier threatened to audit the two companies if they will block the entry of a third telecommunication company.

“Here in the [issue of] telecommunication, I do not want to brag but they had a lot of demands. I had a warning for these people, I told them, ‘do not f— this government,” the President said.

A few days later, PLDT returned one of its radio frequencies to be used by the third telco player.