Leading integrated telco network PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) are enhancing their collaboration with the Government to create a favorable business environment and accelerate the country’s digital transformation, through faster implementation of telco and internet infrastructure projects.
At the recent Ease of Doing Business Convention spearheaded by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), Atty Pamela B. Felizarta, Vice President/Department Head for Joint Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs at Smart, shared the impact of Executive Order No. 32 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) on the PLDT Group's rollout of network infrastructure nationwide.
Issued last year by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., EO 32 streamlined the permitting process for the construction, installation, repair, operation and maintenance of telecommunications and Internet infrastructure in the country.
"With the streamlined rules in place, PLDT and Smart are reinforcing their support to the present administration’s digitalization goals by expanding reliable internet access to Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) through the "BroadBand ng Masa" program. In collaboration with the government and other major providers, PLDT and Smart aim to improve digital access in these areas," Felizarta said.
From L-R: ARTA Deputy Director General for Operations Undersecretary Gerald G. Divinagracia, ARTA Deputy Director General for Legal Geneses R. Abot, Atty Pamela B. Felizarta of PLDT and Smart, ARTA Secretary Ernesto V. Perez, and ARTA Deputy Director General for Administration and Finance Undersecretary Ricojudge Janvier M. Echiverri
ARTA Secretary Ernesto V. Perez hailed the partnerships between Government and industry stakeholders as vital to the "full eradication of bureaucratic red tape and to the dawn of a new and prosperous Philippines."
"For too long, excessive bureaucracy has slowed our country's potential. Now, time once lost to inefficiency can be regained and reinvested in jobs, livelihoods and progress. This is the spirit of 'Bagong Pilipinas' and I thank all of you for joining us in this crusade," Perez said.
Highlighting achievements of EO 32 a year after its implementation, Perez cited that the EO has reduced the time required to energize a telco tower to just 59 days, and driven a significant increase in the number of permits approved by local government units, which increased by 48% between May 2022 and May 2024.
"The ARTA has been at the forefront of these transformative efforts, making significant strides toward building a leaner, more efficient bureaucracy and reducing barriers for businesses of all sizes," he said.
Atty Felizarta (3rd from right) with ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez and Mr. Ruy Y. Moreno, Chair, Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) Ease of Doing Business Committee at the PLDT and Smart activation during ARTA's Ease of Doing Business Convention.
Felizarta also reiterated PLDT and Smart's support for the ARTA-led Electronic Business One Stop Shop (E-Boss) program through a recently signed Memorandum of Agreement to facilitate the establishment of E-Boss across the country through the provision of computer units and training.
"PLDT and Smart will continue to collaborate with ARTA and our partners in the Government, particularly with the LGUs, towards a full appreciation of EO 32 and its implementing rules and regulations, and we look forward to the enactment of local ordinances by the local government units, adopting in full the provisions of the implementing rules," Felizarta said.
This collaboration supports the PLDT Group's thrust to continuously expand and enhance its integrated fixed and wireless networks nationwide, in order to deliver leveled-up customer experience and power the country's digital economy.
Since 2019, PLDT and Smart have been working closely with ARTA, government agencies such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Telecommunications Commission, DILG, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, LGUs and other industry stakeholders and telcos to streamline telco-related permitting processes.
This support is aligned with PLDT and Smart's longstanding partnership with the Government as a whole to narrow the digital divide, bringing the benefits of the internet closer to more Filipinos across the country, and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly on SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.
