Group seeks public help to end 'digital robbery'

CEBU, Philippines – The Cellphone Owners and Users of the Philippines, Inc. is calling on public support in their fight against three major telecommunications service providers in the country that allegedly bombard subscribers with text spams and offer defective services as in erroneous billings, vanishing loads, and alleged deceiving promotions.

The group’s founder, lawyer Rodrigo Domingo Jr., explained in a press conference yesterday that it is “about time to say enough to such illegal acts and for around 70 million mobile phone users in the country to fight for their rights.”

He said that this is now the time for the people to realize that something should be done to stop the irregularities which were earlier raised by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile after he had fallen victim to deduction of load credits even if he has not yet used a single service of his telecom service provider.

The group, founded in 2002, which aims to represent the millions of cellphone subscribers in the country, filed a class suit last Thursday against three companies - Smart Communications, Globe and Digital Mobile Philippines, and Sun Cellular - for what was stated as “various grievances such as vanishing loads, dropped calls, spams, delayed SMS (short message service or simply referred to as text message), defective and erroneous billings, illegal charges of one-minute per pulse, and other consumer complaints.”

With Domingo as lead counsel, COUP is questioning the “various systematic and fraudulent schemes of the three companies which digitally rob” their subscribers. 

Domingo explained that like Enrile’s complaint, vanishing loads is a main concern and subscribers complain of the deduction done against their load after messages, ring tones or advisories are being sent to them even if they have not subscribed to such.

Coup further cited of the hassles of spams or unsolicited text messages like those that offer some kind of prizes and direct subscribers to follow certain instructions that lead to the sending of a reply to a four-digit number, only to receive a confirmation of an error in the replied text or the reference number and that such should be sent again which entails another P2.50-per-text deduction.

It was also stated in their complaint that illegal charges are made when one is prompted to text over and over again because of a “message sending failed” notice, but afterwards the subscriber finds out that he has already been deducted with the equivalent number of times that he has sent the message.

The group requested the National Telecommunications Commission to issue a cease and decease order against the collection of illegal charges carried out by the three companies.

Aside from complaints on delayed text messages, there are also the alleged fraudulent promo schemes like free credit that comes with a newly bought SIM (Subscriber’s Identity Module) card.

Vicente Gambito, another complainant, said that they wish to gather more support from the people who are victims of the said giant telecom firms.

“In one way or another, we have been victimized by these scams. There are almost 70 million cellphone users and if all would raise their concern and support Coup, then these abuses would finally be put to an end,” he said.

Further, Gambito said that the NTC should be questioned as well since it should have been properly monitoring the said companies.

The son of Domingo, actor Cogie Domingo, said that he is supporting the fight against these firms not because his father started the fight but because he is among the million of cellphone users who have been a victim of fraudulent schemes.

The young actor said that he wishes to influence more people to air out their concerns and complaints because they have the right to do so.

Cogie said that he will certainly come to that point of asking fellow thespians, even those who are endorsing these companies, to support the fight. — AJ de la Torre/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)