ANOTHER apparent money-making scheme by telecommunications companies already raking in multibilllion net profits each year has consumers up in arms, and a consumer advocacy group has asked the National Telecommunications Commission to immediately stop two of these telecom giants from imposing expiry dates on free text allocations and free airtime loads, which would begin Monday.    

In a letter, TXTPower urged the commissioner to effectively use his agency to protect the rights and welfare of consumers, particularly cellular phone users by stopping Pilipino Telephone Corp. (Piltel) and Smart Communications (Smart) from cutting off free text and airtime provisions.             

Both firms had put out advertisements on January 8 informing subscribers they would be capping expiry dates beginning January 15, 2007, on all free text messages, which would coincide with the expiration of their airtime balance.               

TXTPower said placing expiry dates on free text allocations violates the right of Smart and Talk N Text subscribers to make full use of the value of the prepaid loads from both companies. The value of any prepaid load includes free text allocations and free airtime.             

“Smart and Piltel must not begin cutting off value from their services to subscribers, in this case the free text allocations and free airtime, especially at a time when their net profits are soaring into the billion of pesos. They must give subscribers some respect,” said TXTPower spokesman Anthony Ian Cruz.         

He added that if left unchecked, the plans of Smart and its sister company Piltel would adversely affect millions of subscribers, considering that these companies operate the largest wireless network used by the most number of mobile telephony users. At last claim, Smart said it has 19 registered million users.                 

Cruz said the twin moves of the sister companies stick out like “sore thumbs” considering that the industry is moving toward bulk pricing and consumer demand is growing for the lifting of expiry dates of both prepaid load and prepaid SIM cards.              

He also faults the published notices of the plan. “Their January 8, 2007 announcements were small and plain, compared to their usual advertisements that are whole page or multi-page and in full color. If the objective of the latter is to attract attention, the former seems to aim to be overlooked. We denounce such disrespect for the basic consumer’s right to information.”

CEBU—Member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) signed on Sunday a framework agreement with China on trade in services (TIS), a key move toward a future free-trade agreement (FTA) between Beijing and the regional bloc.

CEBU CITY—Southeast Asian leaders have expressed their “continuing concern” over the situation in Iraq and the Middle East, and have called for a dialogue between the contending parties in Iraq to pave the way for national reconciliation in the war-torn country.

CEBU CITY—President Arroyo said on Sunday that the 12th Asean Summit has broken “new ground” and has brought the regional grouping closer to its envisioned “formidable bloc” with the endorsement of a blueprint for an updated charter, and fresh pacts on security, migrant workers and trade.

CEBU CITY—In what is considered a “very major step” by one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, China on Sunday agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Asean on an Asean-China center on trade, investment and tourism promotion.

The economic managers said on Friday the country’s macroeconomic underpinnings this year should prove significantly stronger than originally assumed, one where local output or the gross domestic product were to quicken to as high as 6.1 percent from the  expectation of just 5.8 percent.

ANOTHER apparent money-making scheme by telecommunications companies already raking in multibilllion net profits each year has consumers up in arms, and a consumer advocacy group has asked the National Telecommunications Commission to immediately stop two of these telecom giants from imposing expiry dates on free text allocations and free airtime loads, which would begin Monday.

THE government may grant the appeal of power firm STEAG AG for a new power supply agreement in view of its proposed capacity expansion of up to 100 megawatts to 50 megawatts for the 210-megawatt Mindanao Coal power plant.

HONG KONG—China’s leading pharmaceutical giant is set for a battle with multinational companies (MNCs) as it opens its branch in the Philippines next month, banking on the growing popularity of Chinese medicine and alternative treatments.