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Issue No. 31                        September 16-22,  2001                    Quezon City, Philippines

(Following is the full text of the statement of TXTPower Spokesperson Anthony Ian Cruz on the lifting of the temporary restraining order on Globe and Smart’s reduction of free text allocations for cellphone subscribers) 

This is what we get for making the Philippines the text capital of the world: Our government just lets us be victimized by highway robbers. 

We are utterly disappointed over the court’s decision which is clearly in favor of the abusive cartel composed of Globe and Smart. But we want to remind these misers that the court decision does not make their plan to cut free text less objectionable nor right, correct and legal. The court merely said that they have no jurisdiction on the issue. 

Regardless of the court decision, this text reduction remains anti-consumer because it seeks to raise revenue for network expansion efforts of Globe and Smart at the expense of consumers. But whose responsibility is it to raise capital for government franchise holders like Globe and Smart? Should it be the consumers or of the company owners? Should cartels be allowed to even 
exist? 

But we are more outraged by the inaction of the National Telecommunications Commission, Congress and Malacañang whose foot-dragging has allowed the cartel to succeed in colluding against consumers. It seems that consumers do not have any advocates in government;by its silence, government has practically sided with Globe and Smart. 

Their inaction has allowed this cartel of Globe and Smart to impose on consumers lousy services, exorbitant prices and the most unfair schemes such as the free text reduction. 

But we continue to challenge government to rescue texters and cellphone users from this cartel. Something must be done to protect consumers. Now that the court has allowed the free text cut, what will stop the cartel from further colluding against us? What will be next? Would there be an increase in call rates and the price of sending text messages purportedly due to the worse economic impact of the tragic incidents in the US? 

We urge texters and cellphone users to await the announcement of nationally-coordinated protests against the cartel. We pledge that we will fight back. Bulatlat.com

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