President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the rollout of internet for students and teachers in remote areas on Christmas Eve as part of his administration’s “BroadBand ng Masa Program” (BBMP), which aims to provide internet connectivity in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) across the country.
In a surprise appearance in an “Online Kamustahan” organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the chief executive talked to students and teachers from various parts of the country, including the remote Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea.
Gov’t …Mr. Marcos vowed to cover all areas in the country under the BBMP, particularly those that have no access to mobile cellular services.
“The more remote areas need access the most. It is good we have all these new technologies that we can use and we are now taking full advantage of,” the President said.
The use of digital technologies will significantly improve government services and help the country improve interconnectivity, Mr. Marcos said.
“This will ensure that connectivity is felt wherever you are in the Philippines,” he added.
DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said the program seeks to build a “direct connection” between geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and the government.
According to the DICT, among the government’s accomplishments toward enhancing the country’s digital infrastructure are the Free Wi-Fi for All Program, which established an additional 628 operational free Wi-Fi sites—on top of the existing 4,129 sites—bringing the total live sites to 4,757 areas nationwide.
This government service has been accessed by at least 2.1 million unique users, which translates to 100,000 families provided with connectivity all over the country.
Among those who joined the “Online Kamustahan” event were students and school representatives from Pag-asa Island Elementary School in Kalayaan, Palawan; Armenia Elementary School in Uson, Masbate; Bandera Elementary School in the Island Garden City of Samal; Amai Pakpak Central Elementary School in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur; Dioryong Integrated School in Nagtipunan, Quirino Province; Villa Espina Elementary School in Lopez, Quezon and Landang Laum Elementary School in Zamboanga City.
Meanwhile, the Marcos administration has allocated a significant percentage of the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) to infrastructure development and increased the budget on agriculture and healthcare for the benefit of the people, the Department of Budget and Management said in its accomplishment report.
The DBM said 5 to 6 percent of the GDP will be spent on infrastructure projects under the “Build Better More” programs.
There was also a significant increase in the agriculture sector’s budget, including doubling the allocation for major agricultural and fishery programs.
To provide Filipinos with better health services, the DBM released over P44 million to fund the development of the Marawi City General Hospital.
Also listed in the DBM’s accomplishments this year is its aggressive digitalization in line with President Marcos’ agenda.