DICT urged to collect P3.9 billion dues from telcos

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is urging telcos to pay P3.9 billion in charges, dues, and penalties to support government programs. The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) reported that the DICT could collect this amount from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) if the latter recovers its collection backlog.

The NTC has failed to secure P21.8 million from telcos with expired franchises. Additionally, the DICT units, National Privacy Commission (NPC) and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, were criticized for poor budget management and bottlenecks. The CPBRD, which provides data and analysis to legislators, highlighted issues such as weak collection mechanisms, delayed court rulings, and lack of monitoring and enforcement.