Senator Gatchalian wants ban on expiry date of prepaid internet, phone load credits
Nowadays, where most Filipinos depend their lifestyle and livelihood on a fast internet connection, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian wants Senate to tackle the bill seeking to lift the validity period of prepaid load credits for mobile phones and internet services.
In a statement on Sunday, the senator pointed out that in the COVID-19 pandemic era, people rely on modern information and communication technology (ICT) for daily survival.
“For those with limited resources, every peso counts. Forfeiture of unused prepaid load credits due to expiration period is somehow unconscionable under the current situation,” he said.
Senator Gatchalian, then, pointed out that the load credit expiry policy is unwarranted as subscribers should be made to consume the load credits and avail of the services they have paid for.
Senator Gatchalian on Senate Bill No. 365 or the Prepaid Load Forever Act
Moreover, he emphasized that this policy is “anti-consumer” because this kind of commodity depends on the subscribers’ usage and they should be given the choice on whether to make full use of the services. For these reasons, Senator Gatchalian, who is Vice Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee, called for a review of the policy imposed by public telecommunications entities (PTEs) and ICT providers.
Senate Bill No. 365 or the Prepaid Load Forever Act prohibits all PTEs and ICT providers from imposing an expiration date on the validity period of prepaid load credits, regardless of the amount involved, unless fully consumed. This covers prepaid cards and electronic loads for services that offer voice, short messaging system (SMS) or text, mobile data, value-added services (VAS) and those loaded to devices that make use of the internet such as tablets, Wi-Fi dongles, or mobile hotspots.
Violators will be fined ranging from P100,000 to P2 million and imprisonment of two to six years plus an immediate revocation of license to engage in business.
Currently, prepaid load credits worth P300 have one-year validity while those with higher value have a longer expiration period.
