Nograles warns telcos vs cutting text, call promos

MANILA, Philippines - House speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. threatened "oversight" action against telecommunication firms should they suspend text and call promotional campaigns during the holidays. Nograles, in an article on the House of Representatives website, insisted telcos should even permanently cut charges instead of packaging them as discounts. "These are not discounts because realistically, the text and call promos of these telcos should be made permanent. Even with these promos, the telcos are still over-charging their consumers if we are to look at the real cost of text and call services," he said. He added cutting the promos "will be an unreasonable move and clearly against the Christian spirit of charity." On the other hand, he hinted at an investigation as he said Congress will exercise its "inherent power of oversight" to make sure telcos do not use existing laws to milk people of economic anxiety. "These promos, in the form of discounts are actually sure-fire income and profit for the telcos. I think they should even share their blessings that continue to multiply by the day," Nograles insisted. He also "strongly" suggested that the telcos should permanently cut their charges instead of just packaging them as promotional discounts. "Even the hungry garbage scavengers contribute substantially to their income. The telcos should not hesitate to cut their rates because more people will patronize their services when made affordable to the masses," he said. He also said that with the current promos being waged by telcos, they continue to rake in "preposterous profits." He said that in Metro Manila alone, if one million residents spend at least P20 a day for text messaging alone, that would translate to P20 million daily or P600 million a month. "They should even cut their text and call services even further and help the people cope with the adverse effects of the current global economic slowdown," he said. - GMANews.TV