Duterte gives LGUs 3 days to process telco permits

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to hold accountable local government units (LGUs) that fail to process in three days pending applications of telecommunications companies to build cell sites or towers.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año called on LGUs handling pending applications to approve or reject them in accordance with requirements.

“As the President has ordered, those LGUs with pending applications from telcos should be released (approval or rejection) in three days. If their requirements are lacking, you have the reason to disapprove that. You do not withhold and delay,” he said in an interview aired yesterday over Teleradyo.

The President told barangay executives to “stop acting like gods” and threatened to file charges against the corrupt officials. Duterte earlier told telecommunications companies to report to his Cabinet officials LGUs that were hampering the building of cell sites in the country, just days after he threatened to shut or expropriate these companies if no improvements are made by December.

Año said his agency already has a list of LGUs that the government would go after should they fail to comply with the three-day deadline.

A joint memorandum circular was earlier released to make the processing for power infrastructure of telcos shortened to a maximum of 20 days in a bid to comply with Duterte’s directive to improve digital infrastructure in the country.

“We have asked telcos for the list of LGUs, that’s why they don’t have any reasons to say there are no pending applications in their offices. You have to check your records and comply with the President’s instruction,” he said.

If the clearance is not released within the maximum period of 20 days, Año said it should be ultimately deemed approved as long as requirements are complete and other “unnecessary” requirements have been scrapped. – Alexis Romero