The probe starts today

Senator Bam Aquino will be conducting a senate hearing to investigate “nakaw load“, or disappearing mobile prepaid credits today.

Aquino, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, filed Senate Resolution No. 595 which will determine if the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and other government agencies are capable of implementing rules that will protect prepaid mobile subscribers.

“Huwag natin hayaang manakawan ng pera ang ating mga kababayan. We cannot ignore these consumer reports of the disappearance of prepaid mobile credits, including mischarges, hidden charges and errors in opt out mechanisms,” Aquino said in a statement on Sunday.

“Let’s check and ensure that our government agencies and regulators are equipped with the systems, equipment and technical capacity to determine the compliance of telcos,” he added.

Problems of missing or stolen load has long been an issue with both telcos, with the problem coming to head after a Facebook post of Feanne Hontiveros Mauricio detailing how he lost prepaid credits went viral.

Mauricio managed to trace the disappearance of his load to value added services (VAS), with GotDeals Mobile, a third-party VAS provider formally claiming responsibility for the problem.

Since then, Globe has tightened the rule on VAS, implementing stricter opt-in guidelines to make it clear to customers that they are signing up for a VAS subscription which incurs charges.