Palace in no hurry deciding on PLDT-Digitel merger

Malacañang on Thursday stressed that it sees no urgency in handing out a decision on the merger of two major Philippine telecommunication firms amid the Aug. 26 self-imposed deadline set by one of the firms. “As far as I know, we are still studying the merger," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing. “We are going to study it based on what is good for the public interest; that is our paramount concern—what will serve the public interest and not the interest of any particular group," he added. Earlier, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) chairman and chief executive officer Manuel Pangilinan said they may call off the acquisition of Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel) if they cannot secure regulatory approval by Aug. 26. The National Telecommunications Commission, the agency tasked to review the deal, is under the Office of the President. “As far as I know, we did not impose on ourselves a deadline. We are studying it carefully, judiciously. It was a deadline imposed by Mr. Pangilinan," Lacierda said. A different perspective He said the government is looking at the merger from a perspective different from Pangilinan’s, stressing that they are not sure if they can come up with a decision before the business mogul's deadline. He added that government needs to see all sides before coming up with a decision considering the number of issues surrounding the merger that still needs evaluation. Asked what role President Benigno Aquino III has in making the decision, Lacierda said the Aquino was “looking at the merger also, he’s looking at the consequences, the repercussions, that’s why it has to be studied." “We need further inputs as to the issues, we need further inputs as to the proposed response. We are identifying the issues concerning the merger and we are also looking at the proposed response," he said. The NTC concluded its hearings on the joint application of PLDT and Digitel for the approval of the P69.2 billion share-swap deal on July 18, but more than a month had passed and the regulator has yet to come up with a final decision. — JMT/MRT/VS, GMA News