Globe warns Acropolis Greens of weak signal after homeowners reject cell tower

Globe Telecom Inc. has warned its customers in Acropolis Greens in Quezon City of service degradation, after the Ayala-led telco's plans to put up a cell tower in the exclusive village were rejected.

In a statement, Globe said customers who are also members of Acropolis Greens Homeowners Association Inc. can expect continued difficulty in making a call, sending text messages, and accessing the internet due to weak signals.

According to the company, it conducted a technical survey of the village after receiving several complaints from residents, and found that putting up a cell site was the best step to be taken.

However, residents rejected such moves due to reasons such as perceived health risks supposedly caused by the cellular towers, and safety concerns in a typhoon or major earthquake.

The company said it has since conducted a seminar and consultation with the homeowners association to explain that there is no scientific evidence to prove that cell towers cause illnesses, and that the cellular towers can now withstand super typhoon levels of up to 340 kilometers per hour, and 7.0 intensity earthquakes.

According to Globe vice president and head of site acquisition, there are no other available or suitable sites nearby that can serve the connectivity requirements of the residents, and the infrastructure has to be installed within the village for the best effect.

In the same statement, Globe cited the joint memorandum circular (JMC) released by the Departments of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Health (DOH), and other agencies on the streamline of permitting processes required to build cell towers.

Under JMC No. 01 series of 2020, the government made it easier to secure permits to build cellular towers, making the process less than a month's time versus six to seven months previously.

To recall, President Rodrigo Duterte in his State of the Nation Address (SONA), threatened dominant telecommunications firms Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. to improve their services by December, else risk having their properties expropriated by the government or be shut down.

"Kindly improve the services before December. I want to call Jesus Christ to Bethlehem. Better have that line cleared," Duterte said.

In response, Globe said it will heed the order, as it noted that it has earmarked $1.2 billion for its capital expenditure this year alone.

Globe in 2017 also blamed homeowners associations in at least 25 villages in Metro Manila, including Makati City, for blocking the construction of cell sites and as a result, causing insufficient telecom service in particular areas.

It also earlier filed a civil suit against a resident of the upscale Dasmariñas Village in Makati City for preventing the telco from constructing cell sites inside the subdivision.—LDF,GMA News