By Gina Dizon
SAGADA,
Mountain Province – The signal relay tower of Smart Telecommunication here atop
Mt. Pakad has resumed operations after it was shut down Sept. 8-11 due to
failure of the giant company to pay rent.
Bernard
Batnag, representative of lot owners where the tower was located said Smart
didn’t pay rent despite repeated reminders considering that he and Smart
representatives entered into agreement last July 18.
The
July 18 talks between Batnag, his mother Carmen, representing lot owner heirs
and Smart representatives security manager Ariel Emock,
asset protection and management officer Pollen Aluning, Allan
Difuntorum and Gil Rosales of the engineering unit of
Smart-Baguio agreed on a monthly P70,000 lot rental effective June 1,
2012.
The
July 18 talks also agreed on increase of P40, 000 yearly rents to P50, 000
monthly rent for Barangay Balugan considering a lot occupied by Smart was part
of the barangay people’s communal property.
Batnag
also said Smart did not honor their July 18 agreement that he represent the
clan-family lot owners in dealing with the company as further attested by a
special power of attorney naming him as the administrator on said lot.
In
the unsigned memorandum of agreement drafted by Smart however, Smart placed
Bernard’s mother and widow Carmen Batnag to represent heirs of lot owner,
GabinoBatnag.
Also,
Bernard Batnag said Smart, did not include in the unsigned MOA
rights of lot owner prior consent before any additional
antenna or equipment be installed and additional 10% charge on the
monthly rate for said installation.
Smart
specially included in the MOA the company’s right to install any additional
antenna and/or equipment within the lease period.
The
new MOA effective June 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013 and renewable till
May 2018 was a new agreement following an earlier agreement between
GabinoBatnag and Smart on June 1, 1997 to May 31, 2012 for
Smart’s lease of a 500 square meter property.
Earlier
talks June this year between lot owner/s and Smart representatives followed
after a signal shutdown June 21.
This,
after Smart did not talk with any of the lot –owner representatives after the
15-year lease contract lapsed May 31 this year despite repeated attempts by
Batnag to reach Smart.
Meantime,
the four-day shutdown which paralyzed communications resulting to failed
email messages and internet-based
business led people here to change subscriber identity module (Sim) cards
to Globe and TM.
Some
persons here said Smart better transfer their tower to another site to prevent
signal disruption.
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