A new bill, the Prepaid Load Forever Act, has been introduced and seeks to stop telco companies from imposing expiration dates on prepaid load credits.
This is a move aimed at strengthening consumer protection for millions of mobile users in the Philippines.
House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Representative Leila de Lima has introduced House Bill 9903, also known as the Prepaid Load Forever Act, which would prevent public telecommunications providers from expiring unused prepaid load credits.
Proposed Prepaid Load Forever Act Targets Load Expiration Policies
According to De Lima, consumers are placed at a disadvantage when they are forced to use their prepaid load or mobile data before it expires.
The proposed measure is based on Senate Bill 1095 filed by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian. If enacted, the bill would make it unlawful for telecom providers to impose expiration periods on unused prepaid load credits, forfeit credits in active accounts, or refuse to refund forfeited credits without a valid reason.
De Lima said prepaid load credits should remain available to consumers since they have already paid for them.
Malinaw na hindi ito makatarungan sa mga consumers. Bakit may expiration ang paggamit ng load na binili na nila at pagmamay-ari na nila?
REP. LEILA DE LIMA, House Senior Deputy Minority Leader
Dormant Accounts Still Covered Under the Bill
While the proposal seeks to eliminate load expiration, it also includes provisions covering dormant accounts.
Under House Bill 9903, accounts that remain inactive for at least one year may be considered dormant. Telecommunications providers would be allowed to deduct PHP 1 per day from inactive accounts until the remaining prepaid credits are fully consumed.
The provision would also allow providers to reclaim and reassign inactive mobile numbers.
Current Rules Allow One-Year Validity
At present, prepaid load validity is governed by Joint Memorandum Circular No. 05-12-2017 issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Under the existing rules, prepaid load credits, regardless of value, remain valid for one year from the date of purchase.
De Lima said the proposed legislation aims to better protect consumer rights while supporting broader access to digital services across the country.
Telecom companies should help protect consumer rights, and must not engage in practices that exploit consumers for the sake of profit. Mahalaga ang serbisyo ng telekomunikasyon lalo na sa mga panahong ito, pero hindi ito lisensya para lamangan at pagsamantalahan ang consumers,
REP. LEILA DE LIMA
If approved, the measure could significantly change how prepaid mobile services are managed by telecommunications providers in the Philippines. The proposal is still awaiting further action in Congress.
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