President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Saturday made a surprise appearance in an online talk, where he discussed his administration's program that aimed to provide internet connection to students and teachers in the remote areas.
During an "online kamustahan" organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Marcos talked to the beneficiaries of his "BroadBand ng Masa Program" (BBMP), who mostly came from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) across the country, including the remote Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea.
In his remark, Marcos vowed to cover all areas in the country under the BBMP, particularly those that have no access to mobile cellular services.
"Yung mga malalayo, 'yan ang mas kailangan. Lalo na 'yung mga bata, para sa kanilang eskwela. Buti na lang, maraming bagong teknolohiya na pwedeng gamitin, na we're taking full advantage of (Those who live in remote areas, especially the students, need it most. There are a lot of technologies that we're now taking full advantage of)," the President said in Filipino.
The use of digital technologies will significantly improve government services and help the country improve interconnectivity, according to Marcos.
"Wherever we go in the Philippines, we should feel connectivity. That's what's important now," he said.
DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said the program seeks to build a "direct connection" between geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and the government.
"We now have direct access to the government because of technology. This can do a lot not only to the children but also the government)," Uy said.
According to the DICT, among the government's accomplishments towards 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.