The proposed “Prepaid Load Forever” bill could help entrepreneurs and online learners amid coronavirus pandemic, according to Senator Gatchalian.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that the proposed “Prepaid Load Forever” bill could help entrepreneurs and online learners amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
This, as Gatchalian said in a Laging Handa briefing that mobile data and prepaid load in the Philippines should have no expiration dates, especially now that a lot of entrepreneurs and online learners had increased demand for prepaid load and mobile data amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
“Dapat wala na itong expiry date dahil itong load na ito ay binili mo na. In fact, in-advance payment mo na ito. Ganoon din sa data load lalo na ngayon sa panahon na ito, marami sa ating mga kababayan ang nag-oonline learning, ginagamit ang computer sa pag-aaral at madalas silang bumili ng load kaya timely itong proposal natin,” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian, who was the vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, also mentioned that there were around 110 million (80%) mobile phone users in the Philippines and majority of them bought prepaid data and loads.
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Currently, prepaid load credits worth PHP 300 had a one-year validity, while those with higher value had a longer expiration period.
Gatchalian authored Senate Bill No. 365 or the proposed “Prepaid Load Forever Act” which prohibited public telecommunications companied and ICT providers from implementing an expiration date for prepaid load credits – regardless of the amount involved – unless fully consumed.
Electronic loads and prepaid cards for services that offered short messaging system (SMS) or text, voice, mobile data, value added services (VAS), and those loaded to devices that made use of the internet such as Wi-Fi dongles, tablets, or mobile hotspots were all covered by the proposed bill.
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