BEIJING—JG Summit Holdings Inc. President and Chief Operations Officer Lance Gokongwei remains optimistic the government would approve the deal between the Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel) and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), despite the lapse of the August 26 deadline set by PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan for a decision on it.

In an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the Philippines-China Economic and Trade Forum, Gokongwei said he was confident the government would see that the deal would ultimately benefit Filipino people.

But he stressed Digitel would survive without the merger. Weeks ago, Pangilinan also said the same; PLDT will not die without the deal, he said.

In the interview, Gokongwei also said officials of both firms have decided to return to their respective boards to seek “direction” on the next step to take.

“I think both PLDT and Digitel have agreed that they would revert to their board of directors on what the next steps are…. We’ll probably know more in the next few weeks or months,” he said.

He described the deal as “a very complex issue affecting multiple stakeholders, including the companies and consumers, but nonetheless I think all parties have to work toward achieving some closure on this.”

“I think all parties are still trying to dissect in coming out with a solution that works for all,” added Gokongwei, a member of the business delegation that joined President Aquino’s state visit to China.

He said the boards of the two companies may meet after the President’s China trip.

Mr. Aquino himself had voiced concerns about monopoly issues but Gokongwei maintained that his optimism is anchored on his belief that the deal “makes sense,” especially for the public.

“The objectives of shareholders of both PLDT and Digitel are aligned, but more important, that the deal will benefit ultimately the Filipino consumer primarily in terms of providing accessible broadband services to the entire Filipino nation,” he said.

He said Mr. Aquino, who had aired his own concerns about the impact of the merger on broadband services, among others, “is stating a policy statement that makes sense.”

“He is against monopolies and rightfully so. So I think it’s our job in both PLDT and Digitel to ensure that, in fact, this merger would provide an even better service at a lower cost to all people. It’s a natural consequence and we have to ensure that the government is comfortable that this promise will continue to be realized,” Gokongwei said.

He said the President, in making the statement, “wants to maintain the availability and competition for consumers,” which is what the deal also seeks to attain.

“We do believe that under a merged entity, that we will be able to further improve services as indicated, particularly the expansion of broadband to more Filipinos. So, at the same time, it’s a very complex issue and we do have to address squarely some of the issues brought about by government,” Gokongwei said.