Forbes Park, Dasmarinas, Magallanes, San Lorenzo, Bel-Air, Green Meadows, La Vista, Greenhills North, Fruitville, JEE Village, BF Homes, Merville, South Bay Garden, Concepcion, Modesta, Loyola Grand Villas, Jaybee, St. Mary’s Subdivision, Vista Real Classica Subdivision, Meteor Homes, Valle Verde 1, Kings Vill Executive Village, Smile CitiHomes Condominium, Thomas Homes, and Vista Rio:
In recent years, Globe has been aggressively modernizing and upgrading its network using the latest technologies to improve our mobile services for our customers to have a wonderful and seamless connectivity. Over the last 5 years, Globe has allocated more than a quarter of our revenues annually, amounting to $750 million per year in network investments to ensure that we meet the capacity/bandwidth requirements of our customers as well as the extent of coverage that the government has required from us.
Sadly, despite heavy investments, Globe is still unable to provide you with sufficient mobile and internet coverage at your homes inside villages and subdivisions due to continuing challenges in securing the necessary permits and right-of-way approval from your respective homeowner associations (HOAs) and/or barangays. The simple truth is that we are not being allowed to construct cell sites or the smaller ODAs, roll out fiber optic cables, and other telecommunications facilities in your area which are necessary to improve mobile signals and provide access to internet services.
We realize the situation greatly affects your everyday life as the absence of sufficient mobile coverage results in your inability to keep in touch with your loved ones, conduct business transactions, or make emergency calls, to name a few. We are also aware that the situation can be very upsetting especially in an increasingly digital environment where you utilize the internet to get much needed real-time information such as traffic updates and even school research for your children.
Your HOAs oppose our cell site applications most of the time due to alleged health hazards coming from the cell sites. We would like to provide you information and findings from the World Health Organization (WHO) (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/) and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) (http://www.icnirp.org/en/applications/base-stations/index.html), both globally recognized and highly respected institutions who have the expertise in determining whether these facilities do impact health and well-being of the citizens in the area. Their studies will attest to the fact that cell sites have no adverse effects to human health. Our Department of Health has taken all the necessary precautions in ensuring that even with global standards, the Philippine standard of thermal (heat) emissions from local cell sites are at least four times lower than what has been approved globally.
Dr. Agnette Peralta, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Health, also an internationally recognized expert who is currently a member of the Main Commission of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, publicly expressed this when she spoke about the subject at the recent DICT-led Philippine Telecommunications Summit held last March 9-10, 2017. In fact, the allegations are so ridiculous that U.S. federal regulations prohibit denial of permits due to health hazard claims.
Given the enormity of the task of providing reliable internet access and sufficient bandwidth to support your evolving digital lifestyle, it has become imperative for us, your service provider, to seek your support so that we can work together to secure approvals and clearances from your HOAs and barangays. With twin issues of permits and right of way going on for several years now, you as residents and members of your respective homeowner’s associations are held equally responsible in ensuring your areas are covered by mobile signal and internet connectivity.
In June 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council declared that internet access is now a basic human right. If the homeowner’s associations will continue to disallow telecommunications facilities inside villages, then they are violating the rights of residents who are being deprived of their right to internet access. Our journey towards a progressive Philippines demands that we stay attuned with our global community and we can only do this if we are digitally empowered and connected.
You have a choice – for yourselves, your children, and your country. Our communication lines are open, as we remain hopeful of your cooperation in building first world internet in the Philippines.
