At least P1.1 billion will be used to implement the free Internet service in public places under the proposed P5.2-billion budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology for next year.
The government also proposed a P280-million allocation for the free Internet access in state universities and colleges in line with the national ICT development agenda.
President Duterte bared the proposed DICT program allocations in his recent message to Congress seeking a timely passage of P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020.
The free Internet access in public places is mandated by Republic Act No. 10929 signed by Duterte in 2017.
“In this digital age, we cannot underestimate the importance of the use of information and communications technology in governance. ICT has revolutionized the way the government transacts business with citizens, making it possible for its services to reach the citizens wherever they are,” the President said.
“Hence, we are providing P5.2 billion to the DICT to advance our national ICT development agenda for a ‘One Digitized Government, One Nation,'” he added.
Under the DICT budget, the President said P1.1 billion would be used for the Free Internet Wi-Fi Connectivity in Public Places, P381 million for the National Government Portal, P295 million for the National Government Data Center infrastructure, P280 million for Free Internet Wi-Fi Connectivity in State Universities and Colleges, and P196 million for the National Broadband Plan.
He noted that the government has developed an online portal, also known as gov.ph, to “serve as a one-stop shop of government online data, information, and services for citizens and users, and as a platform for collaboration and cooperation for government agencies and other stakeholders.”
The national government data center infrastructure, on the other hand, interconnects government agencies through centralized data centers, servers, and storage facilities.
“By consolidating government data centers, the NGDC will allow us to save on hardware and software procurement, operations, and maintenance while also increasing our overall efficiency and IT security,” he added. (Genalyn Kabiling)
