The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is seeking Congress approval of its P46.6-billion budget for fiscal year (FY) 2021 to fund programs for digital transformation in the new normal.
The proposed budget is almost eight times more than its P6-billion budget for FY 2020.
The DICT is allotting P22.1 billion, the biggest chunk of its proposed budget, for its Digital Connectivity and Access programs, particularly the National Broadband Program (NBP), the Free WiFi for All in Public Places and State Universities and Colleges Program, and the Government Emergency Communications System.
“Digital connectivity and access is the foundation of digital transformation. It is only with a secure and reliable Internet connectivity for every Filipino can we implement programs and initiatives towards digitalization in various sectors of our society,” explained DICT Secretary Gregorio B. Honasan II.
The agency is allocating P11.7 billion for its Digital Government initiatives, P10.2 billion for Digital Workforce and Digital Education, P55 million for Digital Cities and Provinces, P1.05 billion for Cybersecurity, and P1.3 billion for its Internal DICT Programs.
The proposed budget is in line with the goals of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Inter-Agency Task Force-Technical Working Group on Anticipatory and Forward Planning (IATF-TWG-AFP) to rebuild the economy.
“We hope that both houses of Congress will approve our proposed budget for 2021. Now more than ever, the call for digital transformation has never been more urgent," Honasan stressed. "We need all the resources to fast track the country’s digital transformation to adapt to the new normal brought by the COVID-19 pandemic."