PLDT, Globe to resolve unauthorized use of each other's facilties

Globe Telecom Inc. and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. on Tuesday reached an agreement to resolve issues on the use of each company's telecommunication facilities, including poles and overhead cables nationwide.

 

“We want to resolve this issue as we believe that the safety of the general public and continued quality service to our customers are paramount. We hope that, despite the conflicting signals, Globe will honor these agreements done in good faith between authorized representatives of the two companies,”  PLDT spokesperson and Public Affairs Group head Ramon Isberto said Friday.

 

“Our operations executives sat down with their counterpart in Globe last Tuesday, February 5, and agreed that we will maintain the status quo with respect to all disputed attachments currently  installed on our respective poles and outside-of-plant facilities,” Isberto noted.

 

Both parties agreed that the attachments on on their respective facilities would not be removed and that the companies would now focus on establishing a process to resolved current disputes on the use of facilities and how to avoid such problems in the future.

 

“Apparently, some quarters in Globe are unaware of this agreement,” according to the PLDT official.

 

In a statement Thursday, Globe said it gave PLDT until Feb. 8 to remove the illegal attachments to its facilities, after which it would remove the attachments with PLDT paying Globe for the cost of the removal including any damage that may be incurred during the process.

 

“We were surprised when Globe served us a notice last February 7 and issued a press statement on the same day that they will be removing PLDT facilities that they claimed were attached to Globe poles in Baguio and Batangas if no action was made by our contractors by February 8. 

 

“This was two days after an agreement had been reached to maintain the status quo,” Isberto added.

 

A separate agreement also on Feb. 5 covered a joint inventory to track the number of poles each company actually owns nationwide.

 

Globe and PLDT officials met to resolve the issues after PLDT notified Globe last month that it will start removing Globe fiber optic cables that were illegally attached to PLDT poles and overhead cables in La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, according to PLDT.

 

PLDT said it gave Globe until Jan. 25 to remove all unauthorized installations. — VS, GMA News