Call to telco’s free hotline fails during Senate hearing on ‘nakaw load’

The Senate Committee on Science and Technology was startled during a hearing on the “nakaw load” controversy on Monday, when a telecom subscriber placed a call to a supposedly free hotline but was declined for not having enough prepaid load in her account.

Committee chairman Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV was surprised that the subscriber failed to connect to the complaint number of telecommunication companies contrary to what the telcos have been claiming all along.

During the hearing, Armie Torres, an overseas Filipino worker, she has never been able to call the telcos’ hotlines.

“Kapag P5 lang ang load n’yo hindi kayo makakatawag, dapat P10,” Torres told the committee.

Aquino asked the representatives of the Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. if that was true.

The Globe and Smart representatives said it wasn't true.

National Telecommunications Commission Deputy Commissioner Edgardo Cabarios said calls to hotlines should be free.

Thank you so much for tuning in to/watching our hearing today. We'll keep you posted for updates! #NakawLoad [TB] pic.twitter.com/HE4AweJBbi

— Bam Aquino (@bamaquino) April 23, 2018

“‘Yung pagtawag sa operators 888 at 211, ang alam ko, kahit zero balance ‘yan,” Aquino said.

He then asked Torres, who only had P5 load credit, to make a call.

She put her phone on the speaker and a voice recording was heard saying: “Sorry you do not have enough load in your account.”

When she checked her load, P2 was deducted. “Three pesos na lang ngayon, nabawasan ako ng P2 kasi tumawag ako,” Torres noted.

“We can confirm na hindi siya nakatawag,” Aquino said.

Ariel Tubayan, Globe director for policy, said they would look into the matter. “For the record it should be free. We will act accordingly,” he said. —VDS, GMA News