JONG CADION
Senior reporter
ZAMBOANGA Peninsula at present is in the fit to launch, install and serve 1,600 subscribers of Wireless Local Loop (WLL) ran by Telecommunications Office (Tel-off), Engr. Geronimo Junsay said.
Junsay, Tell-off’s assistant regional director, said in an exclusive interview this would be achieved before this year ends.
Tel-off’s regional director is Mitoon Ibra, of the then Bureau of Telecom under DOTC, whose office was tasked to operate and manage the “Telepono sa Barangay” in every town.
Nationwide, WLL telephone systems were installed in every barangay hall but these were later found inoperative and subsequently abandoned.
The said project was implemented during the time of then Presidents Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada under the Telepono sa Barangay Program.
The Subscriber Radio Telecommunication (SRT) was the project contractor of DOTC and the project that time was considered as a high-tech wireless communication system for every brarangay, which is built by the government and later on sold to the private sector.
“The units are still very useful,” Junsay said.
The project was turned-over to Tel-off and that time they don’t had the technical know-how in running the project since most of the equipment was non-functional.
The whole equipment composed of telephone unit and the radio telephone transceiver which uses HF frequency transmission. But this unit would always malfunction, adds Junsay.
In February 2006, the “Telepono sa Barangay” was converted to “Telepono sa Bahay-bahay sa mga Lungsod” and Zamboanga Peninsula took advantage, setting up one in Roxas and Salug, Zamboanga del Norte.
Both provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur followed suit last year and all the equipment from the Barangay Hall was transferred to the town proper to the house of individual subscribers after paying P1,950.
For this year, a total of 600 subscribers are enjoying the service of Tel-off, which aims to serve at least 50 to 60 minimum subscribers in every municipality.
At present, those who availed of the service are the towns of Aurora, Dumingag, Mahayag, Molave, Ramon Magsaysay, Tambulig, Tukuran, Bayog, Dinas, Guipos, Pitogo, San Miguel, Margosatubig, V. Sagun, Tabina and San Pablo.
All calls within the province are local as Tel-off said their office is working on the idea of making all calls within Zamboanga Peninsula to be with local charges only.