With a boom in new housing and condominium projects all across the country, more and more Filipinos are making investments into permanent, long-term real estate solutions. This is partly due to the fact that remote work is now more socially acceptable than ever, with the threat of the virus turning Work From Home arrangements into a non-negotiable for the country’s top talent. Unfortunately, some new residents are finding it hard to adapt to this technological change since their internet connection refuses to cooperate most of the time – kicking them out of conference calls and deleting their progress on internet documents. To make matters even worse, some property developers are in cahoots with these internet providers to eliminate the competition. Well, that is no more. Lawmakers remind property developers that they cannot dictate an exclusive ISP unless they can afford to shoulder the stiff penalties.
This news comes at the resolution of the Camella issue that came into the limelight last year. In summary, the Villar-owned Camella Homes properties were currently using an internet connection provided by StreamTech, an ISP owned by the same person. Complaints quickly arose due to the provider’s subpar performance, to which the homeowner’s association requested major industry players such as Converge and Globe to install lines in their location as well. When their technical staff arrived on the scene, they were stopped by guards of the property. The developer then tried to list down requirements for the providers to make installations, but this was contrary to the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act imposed by the national government.
Legal action on behalf of almost all parties involved forced Camella’s hand to finally release a formal set of fair policies allowing other ISPs to enter the fray. They have also promised to reevaluate past proposals and standardize these rules for all future developments.
In the advent of this occurrence,  Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. has made a clear statement to prevent other companies from getting any similar ideas. Obstruction of any competing products or services is in violation of the Philippine Competition Law. “We must remind all entities, including property developers, that they are forbidden from engaging in any conduct that would prevent, restrict or lessen competition.”
Any actions breaching this law gets not just a slap on the wrist, but also a hefty fine of Php 100 Million – which is no small sum, even for a larger group of companies. Other than that, it also affects the consumer image of these brands, impacting their overall business operations.
This isn’t the first time a property developer has been punished for promoting an exclusive ISP. We’re overjoyed to see that these laws apply even to the country’s top 1%, protecting us ordinary consumers and our freedom to choose where to spend our hard-earned money.
