Knowledge is power in the Information Age; rapid advances in telecommunications have empowered people and helped ease poverty around the planet. Last year the United Nations declared internet access as a fundamental human right that cannot be blocked or disrupted.

This gives more urgency to improving internet and other telecommunications services in the Philippines. The country has been left behind by many of its Asian neighbors in these areas, dragging down national competitiveness. Service providers have blamed the problem on inadequate infrastructure due to red tape, public fears of health risks, right of way issues, and security threats posed mostly by the communist New People’s Army.

Now a proposal awaiting President Duterte’s signature seeks to address at least one of the problems. A draft presidential executive order has been prepared, directing local government units to finish processing all necessary permits for the installation of cellular sites and related telecommunications infrastructure within just a week. The EO was prepared by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, which noted that such facilities require up to 32 types of approvals from LGUs but only one from the DICT. If the LGU fails to act on a telco application within seven days, it will be deemed approved, according to the EO.

This should enjoy the support of President Duterte, who since assuming power had ordered executive agencies to complete transactions with the government within three days. The President’s war on red tape, which is part of a broader campaign against corruption, has been one of the most appreciated by the public, but compliance by LGUs has been spotty. There are local executives who think being elected officials gives them the license to act like independent republics.

For cell sites, the red tape can be worse if LGU officials believe the towers pose health hazards and refuse to have one near their backyard. At least one telecommunications firm has stressed that the fear is unfounded and debunked by data from the World Health Organization.

Apart from supporting the DICT proposal, President Duterte must reiterate his call to communist rebels to stop attacking not just cell sites but also private businesses that refuse to give in to NPA extortion. The NPA has repeatedly thumbed its nose at him, deliberately picking the day of the ASEAN summit last Saturday to raid a police station in Quirino and kill a cop as well as attack three facilities of Lapanday Foods right in the President’s turf, Davao City.

Everyone wants faster, better telecommunications services. The government must not hesitate to do its part in empowering Filipinos and promoting a basic right.

Source: https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2017/05/03/1696186/editorial-fundamental-right