5 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO
VOL. 9 ISSUE 169 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016
Globe to build infra, seeks support of LGUs By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ
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N line with President Duterte’s vision transforming the country into a digital nation by 2020, Globe Telecom is seeking the support of local government units (LGUs) across the country to build much-needed telecommunication infrastructure that would improve data connectivity, while significantly reducing internet rates. At the 66th National Assembly of the League of Vice Governors in the Philippines (LVGP), Globe urged delegates to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to signify their support for the project’s implementation in their respective areas. Globe aims to rationalize the permitting process to mit-
igate red tape and other political constraints in deploying telco infrastructures such as cell sites and fiber optic cables. In a press statement, Globe Telecom CEO Ernest Cu emphasized that data connectivity is a key driver of economic growth in the Philippines. Cu explained that his company’s collaboration with the government in enhancing the country’s digital capabilities would enable local industries and communities to access services and improve their productivity. He pointed out that either the existence or the lack of telco infrastructure in the community is oftentimes a direct result of the LGU permitting environment.
Cu added that securing different permits at the LGU level could be very challenging such as an eight-month duration in completing the processing of 25 permits. “We would like to reiterate our call for a closer collaboration with the government as we set out in building a telco infrastructure that would provide world-class data connectivity even in areas outside our major cities,” he said. Due to technical difficulties, the MOA signing was cancelled. However, Michelle Ora, Globe Telecom director for Business Development Site Acquisition Management Network Technical Group,
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City earmarks P2.2 M for local coops By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA
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HE City Cooperative Development Office is set to lend P2.2 million to nine micro and small cooperatives in the city before the year ends. This is part of CCDO’s loan program that aims to help newly-established cooperatives which have demonstrated the capacity to pay off their loans. “The City provides financial assistance to micro and small cooperatives in the city
after we have established their capacity to pay and their financial stability,” CCDO Chief Julius Oxales said. Annually, the CCDO gives financial assistance to an average of 10 to 12 cooperatives per year who can lend P50,000 to P300,000 to their members without interest. Oxales said his office is planning to provide more financial resources to the city’s micro and small cooperatives
to enable them to assist members who are in need. He said the CCDO will propose a bigger budget for next year so that it will be able to accommodate the requests for financial assistance of more local cooperatives. “We want to propose a P4.5 million budget for the loan program to help more cooperatives,” Oxales said. The CCDO has earmarked
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PRIVATE-PUBLIC SYNERGY. Michelle Ora, Globe Telecom Director for Business Development Site Acquisition Management Network Technical Group, says the company is seeking the support of local government units (LGUs) across the country to build telecommunication infrastructure that would improve
data connectivity, while significantly reducing connectivity rates. Ora faced the media during the 66th National Assembly of the League of Vice Governors in the Philippines (LVGP) held at Park Inn by Radisson Davao on Monday evening. Lean Daval Jr.