Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda expects immediate action from the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) regarding the bank's mobile account glitch, which was reported by many netizens on Wednesday, Jan. 4.
"The recent incident of double debiting and incorrect entry of balance details in BPI mobile banking accounts shows how prone to widespread glitches our financial cyberspace remains," Salceda said in a statement.
"As vice chair of the House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries, I will be watching out for any speedbumps that BPI and the regulators may encounter in resolving this issue WITHIN THE DAY," he added, the emphasis his own.
Affected BPI account holders took to their social media to vent their frustrations and concerns about the glitch. One of them, Erwin Esteban, a businessman from Caloocan City, said he was surprised to see his balance at a negative P27,000.
"Nagulat nga ako. Nag-check ako ng balance ko. Ayun, negative P27,000. Tapos hindi ako maka-withdraw ( I was shocked. I checked my balance. It was negative P27,000. And now I can't withdraw money)," he said.
Salceda went on to enumerate the actions that he expects from BPI in connection with the troublesome glitch.
"One, if any depositor loses money due to this glitch, they should be promptly reimbursed or compensated WITHOUT being made to sign waivers or quit claims," he said.
"Two, a resolution of this issue within the day should not preclude the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from investigating the causes or potential weakness of the specific bank or the banking system as a whole," he added.
The economist-solon further said: "Three, the bank should take concrete steps to ensure that this never happens again."
Finally, the Bicol solon said BSP is expected to give the House panel a report on the matter.
Salceda chairs the House Committee on Ways and Means.