House bill bans telco promos

MANILA, Philippines - A bill filed Senator Jinggoy Estrada in the Senate to stop telecommunication companies from sending promos via SMS to subscribers has a counterpart proposal in the House of Representatives.

Ang Mata'y Alagaan party-list Rep. Lorna Velasco, author of House Bill 4510, said promotional texts and advertisements sent by telecommunication firms have resulted in higher monthly bills for subscribers.

The bill defines unsolicited materials such as advertisements, offerings, promotions, subscriptions and other notification to their subscribers.

“While some of the messages sent to subscribers are free, they remain unsolicited and intrude into the privacy of the consumers,” Velasco said.

“It is incumbent upon us to enact laws to protect our people from these inappropriate practices,” she added.

Under the bill, violators face a fine of P20,000 to P100,000 per violations.

Estrada’s pending proposal is the Senate Bill 1583 or An Act Prohibiting Cellphone Network Companies from Sending Unsolicited Material to Their Subscribers via txt or short message service (SMS).

Estrada, now detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, is facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the pork barrel scam.