Group to Congress: Protect e-load dealers from ‘dismissal’

MANILA, Philippines - A militant consumer group joined electronic load (e-load) retailers of Smart telecommunications Monday in asking Congress to stop their impending "dismissal." TXTPower said Smart's plan to reformat its e-load mechanism may end the e-load businesses of at least 3,000 dealers and "tens of thousands" of partners. "Both the National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Trade and Industry have told Smart electronic load (e-load) dealers that they do not have jurisdiction over their predicament, and so Congress must step in to fill the void, rescue these dealers from certain bankruptcy and exercise their oversight functions on the franchises granted to Smart Communications and parent company PLDT," TXTPower president Anthony Ian Cruz said on the group's website. Cruz noted it is the dealers and their partners who helped expand Smart's reach to subscribers. Smart introduced its e-load system in 2002 and asked entrepreneurs to become dealers. In turn, the dealers recruited retailers who sell e-load to end-users. The initial set-up resulted in Smart expanding its nationwide reach and beating rival Globe Telecom in the prepaid market. "By the end of November, we have been informed that Smart will end its business partnerships with these dealers after depending on them to lay down the network of hundreds of thousands of e-load retailers from the very start. The dealers would be dropped in favor of a smaller number of regional and provincial distributors," said Cruz. He voiced concerns that Smart's plan to eliminate dealers would affect Smart subscribers while some retailers who partnered with the dealers may also lose their businesses. Such retailers may not be reached by the new regional and provincial distributors who are fewer in number and who do not personally know these retailers, said Cruz. TXTPower said Smart should recognize the role of the e-load dealers, who have formed the Telco Entrepreneurs Association (TEA). "We also appeal to Smart to uphold corporate social responsibility and include these dealers who have helped them in their business since 2002 in their new business plans," said Cruz. TXTPower said TEA sought its assistance in a meeting last week in Manila, and has likewise written several members of the Senate. Also, the TEA claimed it sought to meet officials of Smart but the request has not been acted upon by company executives. - GMANews.TV