Unwavering, Rio stays as DICT chief until third telco is named

Eliseo Rio Jr., acting secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), has won Malacañang’s approval to stay longer in his current post until January next year.

Rio said in an interview on Wednesday he requested the Office of the President to allow him to finish the ongoing process for the selection of a new major telco player. It came amid news he would be replaced by Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II, who announced last week he had already accepted an offer from President Duterte to become the next DICT chief.

“More or less the President granted my request to remain until the third telco is chosen,” Rio said, adding he hoped to stay at the helm of the DICT until January 2019.

A venture between businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp. and state-run China Telecom was named the provisional third telco on Nov. 7. It would still undergo a final verification procedure before the National Telecommunications Commission confirms it as the final new major player. The bidding was the culmination of a year-long exercise aimed at selecting a new player to break the PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom duopoly.

Two disqualified bidders, Philippine Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (PT&T) and the Sear Consortium backed by Ilocos politician Luis “Chavit” Singson’s LCS Group, have filed initial appeals, but these were thumbed down by the third telco selection committee. Both may file a fresh appeal and pay a P10-million fee before the NTC en banc before Thursday, Nov. 15.

Rio said Mislatel Consortium, if declared the third telco player, would still undergo a maximum 90-day postqualification procedure.

The third telco player will be awarded a set of  3G, 4G and potential 5G radio frequencies. The government earlier adopted the highest committed level of service model to grade contenders.