Internet infrastructure

Bam on Balikbayan Boxes, Internet Infrastructure (Excerpts from Interview at Radyo Inquirer 990)

On Internet Infrastructure

 

Sen. Bam: Baka panahon na iyong gobyerno mismo ang maglatag ng fiber optic highway.

Ang modelo kasi sa ibang bansa, naglalatag ang gobyerno ng fiber tapos ang private sector nagre-rent sa gobyerno. Makukuha mo pa rin iyan, dahil gobyerno lang ang nag-upfront.

Habang dini-develop mo ang area, mas magiging viable iyan sa private sector, mas magre-rent sila, mas mababayaran ang infrastructure natin.

Sabi ko nga kay NEDA Secretary Balisacan, Secretary narito na ang NTC, DTI, DOST at private sector, puwede ba sa next hearing natin pag-usapan ang mga solusyon. Kasi ang previous hearings, puro about consumer complaint, na makuha ang tapat na binabayaran, kasi kahit po iyon, hindi nakukuha ng ating kababayan.

Ang next diyan, ano ang long-term solutions at ano ba ang pondong kailangan para dito. Pakiramdam ko kailangang pondohan iyan kasi nakasalalay diyan ang competitiveness ng ating bansa.

Iyong ekonomiya natin maganda ang takbo pero in a few years makita ng investors na mabagal ang Internet diyan, baka hindi pa maging tuluy-tuloy ang investments natin.

Tsaka iyong jobs natin nakasalalay sa Internet infrastructure kaya tuluy-tuloy ang pagtutok natin dito.

 

On the Balikbayan Box Issue

 

Q: Sa balikbayan box, napakainit na usapin po ito. Ano ang pakiramdam ninyo rito, ano ang posisyon niyo sa pag-open, by random, ng balikbayan boxes.

 

Sen. Bam: Matagal na akong nag-file ng bill na pagtataas ng de minimis. Ang de minimis po, kasi sa ating bansa, ten pesos lang. More than ten pesos lang, puwede nang i-tax. Napakaluma na ng probisyong iyan, hindi pa binabago.

Kahit mag-uwi po ako ng tsokolate mula sa ibang bansa, technically puwede na akong i-tax doon kasi hindi nila ina-update iyong ten pesos.

Nag-file na po ako a few months ago, na ang ten pesos gawing ten thousand pesos. Kaya kung less than P10,000, hindi na dapat iyan puwedeng i-tax. Of course, ang ginagawa ngayon wala na lang pumapansin.

 

Q: Iyong act ng pagbubukas mismo. Iyong random inspection?

 

Sen. Bam: Sa totoo lang, we have to check kung ano ang mga patakaran diyan. Kasi ang isyu naman ng BOC ay pagdating sa drugs at mga baril.

I also don’t know kung gaano kadalas nangyayari iyon. Gaano ba kadalas nakakapasok ang drugs at baril sa balikbayan box.

 

Q: Ang ginagawa nila, kaakibat daw ng tamang pagpapataw ng buwis. Tulad ng sinabi ninyo, the root cause here is that after ten pesos puwede ka nang buwisan. Ang solusyon niyo, kapag P10,000 exempted na, wala nang babayaran.

 

Sen. Bam: Matagal ko na pong na-file iyon, hindi na po iyan nahi-hear. I hope that it can pass into law, number one.

Number two, ang comment ng mga tao, ang dami-daming mga smuggling ng container bakit pati balikbayan box, binibigyan nila ng pansin.

Naiintindihan ko iyon kasi it’s not as if iyong smuggling sa ating bansa wala na, iyong malakihang smuggling. Noong isang linggo lang, maraming luxury car ang nahuli.

Baka rin nasa kung ano talaga ang focus. At the same time, suportahan po natin ang OFWs. Taasan po natin iyong de minimis. Iyon ang batas na gusto nating isulong.

 

Q: Hindi alam ng taumbayan na ang de minimis, hindi pa pala naamyendahan, at iyon ang ginagamit ng Bureau of Customs ngayon para magbayad ng mas matindi pa ang taumbayan.

 

Sen. Bam: I’m sure magkaka-hearing po na niyan. Isusulong po natin ang bill natin na  pagtaas ng de minimis, gawing P10,000, na kahit ibukas pa iyan, walang isyu, dahil karamihan ng nasa loob ng balikbayan box ay house items at personal items.

 

Sen. Bam Urges Stakeholders: Work for Better Internet System Before 2015

Better shape up or be left behind.

Senator Bam Aquino urged the government, local telecommunications industry and other stakeholders to find ways to quickly improve the country’s Internet systems, with the 2015 ASEAN Economic Integration fast approaching.

“With its slow and expensive Internet connection, the country may be left behind in the battle for the information and communications technology (ICT) market,” said Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

“We should step up and shape up or we will be eating dust from the competition,” added Aquino, who recently called for an investigation regarding the country’s slow and expensive Internet connection.

The lawmaker said the ASEAN is pushing for the strengthening of the ICT industry as it is seen as one of the drivers in the economic and social transformation of the region.

According to the ASEAN ICT Master Plan, Aquino said one of the main goals is to create conducive business environment to promote trade, investment and entrepreneurship in the ICT sector.

However, the senator expressed apprehension over the country’s capacity to compete with neighboring countries with far more advanced technology in terms of Internet connection.

“One of the foundations of a good ICT industry is a reliable and fast Internet service. If we don’t have that, the country’s chances to grab a lion’s share of the market is lessened,” Aquino stressed.

Aquino cited a study commissioned by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and released by Boston Consulting Group (BGC), saying the Philippines is trailing its ASEAN neighbors in terms of Internet infrastructure.

According to the report, the Philippines ranked 47th out of 65 countries covered by so-called BGC “e-Friction Index”, or factors that can inhibit consumers, businesses and others from fully participating in the national and the international Internet economy.”

The Philippines garnered an overall e-Friction score of 64, third among the six ASEAN member-countries covered by the report, behind Singapore (15th overall) and Malaysia (28th).

Thailand was one spot lower than the Philippines at 48th, Indonesia was 59th and Vietnam, 61st.

However, the Philippines was 53rd in terms of infrastructure friction component, composed of fixed- and mobile-broadband connections, bandwidth speeds, and pricing, among other things.

Also, the study showed the Philippines has the eighth most-expensive fixed broadband pricing among 65 countries included in the study.

“I called for an investigation to find solutions that will fix the situation and eventually, provide better service to consumers and improve the country’s business climate,” Aquino said.

 

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