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Globe Senior Vice President for Broadband Business Martha Sazon (4th from right) shakes hands with Isabela Vice Governor Antonio Albano, LGVP National President (4th from left) following the signing of a MOA to facilitate deployment of ICT infrastructure in the country. Witnessing the signing are from left Globe Director for Sector Relations Robert Aquino; Masbate Vice Governor Jo Kristine Revil, LGVP PRO; Leyte Vice-Governor Carlo Loreto, LGVP Secretary General; Oriental Mindoro Vice-Governor Humerlito Dolor, LGVP Chair; Globe Director for Business Development Michelle Ora; and Laguna Vice-Governor Karen Agapay, LGVP Treasurer.
Globe Telecom signed a ground-breaking agreement with the League of Vice-Governors of the Philippines (LVGP) to collaborate in facilitating the deployment of vital ICT infrastructure, particularly in unserved and underserved communities in the country.
“ICT is rapidly changing the way that companies conduct business and the government delivers services. This agreement shows that we are one with League of Vice Governors in our desire to develop the ICT capacities of communities and businesses. We are confident this initiative would unlock more economic opportunities in the countryside and provide vital services to more Filipinos, benefitting the country as a whole,” Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu said.
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Under the memorandum of agreement, which was signed by Globe Senior Vice President for Broadband Business Martha Sazon and LVGP National President Antonio Albano, vice-governors committed to provide support in relation to the deployment of telecommunication facilities in their capacity as presiding officers of Sangguniang Panlalawigan in their respective provinces.
The agreement follows repeated calls by Globe for a rationalization of permitting process for cell sites and other telecommunication infrastructure, pointing out it takes at least 8 months, involving 25 permits, to put up one cell site. This has led to considerable delay in the deployment of telecommunication facilities. In the case of Globe, the telecommunications provider has a backlog of around 3000 sites amid difficulties in securing permits from various local government units, homeowners’ associations and other government agencies.
Specifically, members of LVGP committed to ensure that only reasonable fees equivalent to the cost of regulation of ICT infrastructure in relation to the process of reviewing ordinances passed by municipalities and cities in their respective provinces. The LVP also committed to advise and encourage cities and municipalities to have a turn-around time for the issuance of permits and licenses of not more than 10 days from the submission of all requirements; exempt ICT infrastructure installed in agricultural, residential, commercial and industrial areas from zoning clearances; and to enact a uniform ordinance prescribing the barest minimum documentary requirements and that no more than 3 signatures shall be required for such permits.
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The LGVP also committed to identify areas owned and controlled by the government as possible sites where ICT infrastructure may be installed, co-located or leased by Globe and to encourage cities and municipalities to do likewise. In addition, the group committed to encourage cities and municipalities to deploy at their cost and expense their respective ICT infrastructure such as fiber optic networks and communication towers to be leased by Globe and to provide the necessary assistance to facilitate acquisition of permits and licenses from cities and municipalities under the LVGP’s jurisdiction which are identified by Globe as priority areas for ICT infrastructure deployment.
Globe, on the other hand, committed to provide free Wi-Fi service in cities and municipalities compliant with the provisions of the agreement as well CCTV cameras or computer software or hardware and free internet service in select schools and public institutions or other high traffic areas such as city halls, terminals and other LGU-owned areas where there will be potentially have high Wi-Fi usage.
Under the agreement, Globe will be in charge in identifying priority areas for deployment of ICT infrastructure and to provide technical assistance to provinces, cities and municipalities in the deployment of their respective ICT infrastructure to be leased by Globe.
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