GUIDELINES ON PREPAID LOADS

MEMORANDUM
CIRCULAR
No. 03-07-2009
SUBJECT: GUIDELINES ON
PREPAID LOADS
WHEREAS, the 1987 Constitutionfully recognizes the vital role of
communications in nation building and provides for the emergence of
communications structures suitable to the needs and aspirations of the
nation;
WHEREAS, the promotion of competition in the telecommunications market
is a key objective of Republic Act No. 7925 (RA7925, for brevity),
otherwise known as The Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the
Philippines, which mandates that "a healthy competitive environment
shall be fostered, one in which telecommunications carriers are free
to make business decisions and interact with one another in providing
telecommunications services, with the end in view of encouraging their
financial viability while maintaining affordable rates";
WHEREAS, Sec. 2.4 of NTC Memorandum
Circular (MC) No. 05-06-2007provides that a subscriber can only be
charged according to the rates, terms and conditions he has agreed to;
WHEREAS, Sec. 2.8 of the same MC No. 05-06-2007 further provides that
subscribers of
prepaid
telecommunications services shall be provided with a free mechanism to
verify the remaining balance for his/her subscribed service;
WHEREAS, MC No. 04-06-2007requires public telecommunications entities
to retain the call data records of voice calls and similar records for
non-voice traffic;
NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to RA7925, Executive Order (EO) No. 546
series of 1979, and in order to protect and promote the interest of
subscribers/end-users of
prepaid
telecommunications services,
the National Telecommunications Commission (Commission) hereby
promulgates the following regulatory guidelines:
1. The expiration or validity of
prepaid loads shall correspond to the amount of loads purchased.
Prepaid loads with higher value shall have longer expiration or
validity period. The minimum validity or expiration period of
prepaid loads shall be as follows:
Amount of Load Purchased Minimum Expiration | Validity Period
PhP10.00 or lower | Three (3) days
More than PhP10.00 to PhP50.00 | Fifteen (15) days
More than 50.00 to PhP100 | Thirty (30) days More than 100.00 to
PhP150.00 | Forty Five (45) days
More than PhP150.00 to PhP250.00 | Sixty (60) days
More than PhP250.00 to PhP300 | Seventy Five (75) days
More than PhP300 | One Hundred Twenty (120) days
2. The validity period of the
prepaid load shall commence upon receipt of confirmation of the
prepaid load purchased.