On Tuesday night, Aug. 15, 2023, when I opened my laptop at home to do some work, I noticed that there was no internet signal. I thought my service was cut off because sometimes I am late in paying the bill. But when I checked my records, I had paid and my next bill was not until the end of the month.
It was past 9 p.m. I was certain PLDT’s personnel were already out of the office, or perhaps asleep. So I just sent messages to some of the top guys of PLDT here in Cebu whom I consider as friends. Naturally, since it was off-hours, I did not receive any reply from them that evening.
But yesterday morning, PLDT’s Rodel Miagao curtly replied to my message: “Atty. naa major cable trouble diha. Basi dili ma-restore dayon. Apologies for the inconvenience.” Thank you, Rodel, for the update. Also, PLDT’s Nikki Estenor replied to my text, stating “ang tanan daw dead sa imo facility. Wa pa ma-advise atty. Ako gipatawag nimo.”
I sent a message to PLDT’s Ben Katigbak, but no reply. PLDT’s Richard Omega, a cooperator, replied to my message, explaining “naa fiber break, sunod sunod na hitabo. Na-restore gahapon, pagka gabii lain na pud, between Naga to Legaspi.” Thank you, Richard.
I planned to work at home yesterday, but because of the internet issue in my place, I was compelled to work in the office where the internet was still working.
Certainly, I am not the only one who experienced the internet connectivity problem of PLDT, the pioneer in the country. Almost every day, when I open my social media account, the litany of complaints from PLDT subscribers is endless. I wonder if serious efforts are made by management to address the connectivity problem.
What is ironic, though, is that PLDT received the award as the “Top Philippine Internet Service Provider in 2022.” Jokes abound on social media. How did PLDT get the award, considering its bad internet connectivity that majority of its subscribers have been experiencing daily?
Be that as it may, belated congratulations to PLDT for the award. The award should have been the driving force for PLDT’s management to stand by the award’s citation and further improve its services in areas hardly reached by its internet services.
The problem with public utilities like PLDT is that they do not give their subscribers a rebate for the hours or days that they fail to provide the subscribed services. But when a subscriber fails to pay on time for some valid reason or another, PLDT and other public utilities are quick to cut off service connection in such a short notice.
The current issues hounding the sector could be because there are only two major telecommunication providers in the country. So instead of stiff competition that often results in better service, the possibility of a mutual understanding between them is not remote. The choice of subscribers for internet connection is very limited since Globe Telecom is also experiencing a similar problem.
DITO Telecommunity, the third telco that opened its services during the term of then President Rodrigo Duterte, has yet to improve its interconnectivity with the two giant telcos, PLDT and Globe Telecom. It is difficult to call a Smart or Globe number using Dito. But Dito’s data/internet services though are good and affordable.
It would appear that PLDT’s “Top Philippine Internet Service Provider in 2022” is but an ego booster for the management, if not a hollow triumph, if it cannot maintain and keep up its internet connectivity to the full satisfaction of its subscribers.