DAVAO CITY — The regional office of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has asked local governments here to help them go after illegal radio stations.
NTC Regional Director Nelson Cañete said local government should not issue business permits to broadcast operators that don’t have a certification from the telecommunication regulator.
He said about 50 broadcast stations were illegally operating in the Davao region, though some of these have been shut down. Many of these propped up during the election campaign period this year.
Mr. Cañete said broadcast operations are highly centralized and NTC regional office could only inspect radio stations and order them to stop, adding that the NTC central office is the final authority on this.
“When we close one station, five new ones will open,” he said in Cebuano. “It’s like a cat-and-mouse operation. We will close in one area and five will open for a test broadcast, then if they hear that we are on our way to inspect them, the station will disappear.” — Maya M. Padillo
