Proposed 'Prepaid Load Forever' bill to help online learners, entrepreneurs —Gatchalian

Prepaid load and mobile data in the Philippines should have no expiration dates, especially now that many students and entrepreneurs have increased demand for these amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday.

"Dapat wala na itong expiry date dahil itong load na ito ay binili mo na. In fact, in-advance payment mo na ito. Ganoon din sa data load lalo na ngayon sa panahon na ito, marami sa ating mga kababayan ang nag-oonline learning, ginagamit ang computer sa pag-aaral at madalas silang bumili ng load kaya timely itong proposal natin," Gatchalian said in a Laging Handa briefing.

"Marami sa ating kababayan naging habit na ang paggamit ng internet sa pag-aaral at ganoon na rin sa pagnenegosyo," he added.

The vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs also mentioned that there are around 110 million mobile phone users in the country and majority of them buy prepaid loads and data.

"Marami sa atin dala-dalawa ang cellphone, dala-dalawa ang numero... Almost 80% ng ating subsribers ay prepaid buyers," Gatchalian said.

Currently, prepaid load credits worth P300 have a one-year validity while those with higher value have a longer expiration period.

Gatchalian authored Senate Bill No. 365, which prohibits public telecommunications entities and ICT providers from imposing an expiration date for prepaid load credits, regardless of the amount involved, unless fully consumed.

Prepaid cards and electronic loads for services that offer voice, short messaging system (SMS) or text, mobile data, value added services (VAS) and those loaded to devices that make use of the internet such as tablets, Wi-Fi dongles or mobile hotspots are all covered by the proposed law.

Violators of the bill would be fined P100,000 to P2 million and face imprisonment of two to six years plus an immediate revocation of license to engage in business.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to shift to online platforms as the lockdowns earlier this year limited physical interactions.

Students in the country also had to make use of self-learning modules and the internet while face-to-face classes are still banned. --KBK, GMA News