No dial tone

For almost nine hours today, from a little past 12 to 8:45 pm, all the PLDT lines in Las Piñas were down.

I was not able to send my column to Abante.

But what is exasperating about it is the utter disregard of PLDT, a public utility company, of the need to provide information about the breakdown of their line to those who were affected.

Just like the callousness of Meralco in the aftermath of typhoon Milenyo, a big company like PLDTdidn’t think of assigning someone to answer inquiries of the public.

I tried calling PLDT repair (171) and PLDT information (187) through my Globe cellphone, I couldn’t get through. (Much, much later, when the landlines were restored I called up 187 and I was told they can only be contacted by Smart cellphone) .

Thinking that it was only our line that had a problem, I went to our neighbor and I learned that all telephones on whole Iris street were down.

I called up a friend, Sol Vanzi, to please inform PLDT that our telephone lines are down. Sol said the PLDT customer service officer just said she will report the matter. She had no information about the problem.

I went to Southmall thinking that I could send my column at Netopia Internet Cafe. Netopia was in the same situation, no telephone connection. But the receptionist didn’t know what the problem was. All she knew was that there was a problem with PLDT.

I went to the PLDT/Smart Center. I asked who could I talk with about our telephone line that was dead, he said “nobody” because all PLDT lines are down “nationwide”. He said “babalik na rin yun mamaya. Hintayin nyo na lang.”

I told him that I’m writing about the problem and is there someone I can talk whom I can quote? He said, even if I talked to the customer service officer, she would tell me the same thing. So I asked if I can quote him and asked for his name. He said, I better talk to the customer service officer and he gave me a number – 7123. I noticed that the number being serviced was 7113. That means, I’m ten customers away from being attended to. And all that I wanted to ask was information about their dead telephone lines.

It was almost 6 p.m., the problem had been on for six hours, and PLDT never thought of assigning someone to particularly attend to that inquiry. It was fine with me if it was the guard that they assigned to answer the inquiries on that matter. But at least give him the correct information to relay to the customers.

Feeling harrassed, I texted Ramon Isberto, head of the public affairs group of Smart Communications. It was past 7 p.m. when I got home (Saturday traffic in Las Piñas is always bad). Mon Isberto returned my call and he explained that PLDT line in Las Piñas was damaged. Only in Las Piñas, not nationwide as the security guard said.

It was too late for me to go other places outside Las Piñas to send my column.

Through its multi-million ads, PLDT prides itself as company that cares for its clients. They can best prove it by giving priority to inquiries of clients affected by service breakdown.