President Duterte has given local government officials until this week to submit an update on pending ordinances within their jurisdictions for the construction of communication towers.
He warned concerned local government units should transmit updates to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) within three days starting Monday, or risk facing sanctions.
“So the clock is ticking except on the days we do not hold office, I will count the 72 hours weekdays. Then for example if it has been there on Monday, then two to three days should be on Thursday,” the President said.
LGUs who fail to comply will be charged with corruption by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and Ombudsman Samuel Martires to handle the said cases.
“I’ll see to it that you are effectively suspended preventive—suspended as a form of a punishment,” President Duterte said, adding he may also call for the resignation of those accused, if they will be proven liable.
“I may not be really the best but I want to taste your agony and I want to taste your humiliation while I am here because you are a criminal,” he said.
President Duterte added he hopes the courts will not “interfere and allow him to impose the said punishment against those who will be involved in the deliberate delays in releasing permits for communication towers.”
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the order was issued to concerned LGUs in response to the complaints of the telecommunication industry on the long delays on the issuance of the said permits which could take months.
During his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) last week, President Duterte committed to greatly improve the country’s telecommunication services before he ends his term in the next two years.
To help in this initiative, the DILG signed a new joint memorandum circular with other concerned government agencies to minimize “red tape” in the permit issuance for communication towers.
The construction of additional communication towers is expected to improve communication and Internet services nationwide.
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