ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider BroadBand ng Masa

BroadBand ng Masa

Published Dec 30, 2022 12:05 am
NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Lamentillo The goal of bringing internet connectivity to the different communities in the country, especially in far-flung areas, is gaining headway under the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s BroadBand ng Masa (BBM) program that is anchored on the “Build Better More” thrust of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. At present, there are 4,757 free Wi-Fi sites in 17 regions, 75 provinces and Metro Manila, and 606 cities and municipalities nationwide, including those at the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), such as Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan Group of Islands. Among the recent beneficiaries of the free Wi-Fi project are three far-flung islands in Zamboanga City — Sacol, which is five kilometers away from Zamboanga City’s mainland, and two more nearby islands, Tigtabon and Pangapuyan. DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy led the launching of these free Wi-Fi sites, which include four sites in Sacol Island, namely, Madrasah, Landang Laum Elementary School, Landang Laum Barangay Hall, and Landang Gua Elementary School; two sites in Pangapuyan, namely, Pangapuyan Elementary School and Pangapuyan Barangay Hall; and one in Tigtabon, at the Tigtabon Barangay Hall. To test the accomplishments of the program, the DICT organized a BroadBand ng Masa Zoom event last Dec. 24. Beneficiaries of the BBM program were surprised when their “online kamustahan” with Secretary Uy included a very special guest, no less than President Bongbong Marcos. Among the BBM program beneficiaries who participated in the “online kamustahan” were students, teachers and school representatives from Amai Pakpak Central Elementary School (Marawi City), Armenia Elementary School (Masbate), Bandera Elementary School (Samal Island), Dinganen-Buldon National High School (Maguindanao), Villa Espina Elementary School (Lopez, Quezon), Sultan Barira National High School (Maguindanao), Balabac District (Palawan), Dioriong Integrated School (Quirino), Leyte National Senior High School (Tacloban, Leyte), Matanog National High School (Maguindanao), Sacol Island (Zamboanga City), Mangsee National High School (Balabac, Palawan), and Pagasa Island (Kalayaan, Palawan). The President was happy to see that internet connectivity is being spread throughout the archipelago by the DICT. He stressed that this is only the start of the BroadBand ng Masa Program, which aims to provide fast, free and reliable internet connection especially in remote and far-flung provinces to enable all Filipinos to connect with families, friends and colleagues from virtually anywhere in the Philippines. In 2023, the DICT targets the completion of Broadband ng Masa’s Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) Phase 1. Moreover, 15,834 free Wi-Fi sites are targeted to be launched for 2023 in public places, and 100,000 sites are expected to be made operational by 2025 through the integration of the Provincial Infrastructure Network and Last Mile Connectivity, and the NBP backhaul. To complement the broadband connection, the DICT also provides additional support, including providing tablets to public schools, and conducting trainings on internet literacy. In areas with limited or no access to power, the project includes the installation of solar and gas-powered generators. This is just the beginning of the BroadBand ng Masa program. The DICT’s commitment is to provide fast and reliable free internet connectivity throughout the country, especially in hard-to-reach areas, to bring into fruition President Bongbong Marcos’ vision of universal connectivity and a truly digital Philippines.

Related Tags

Department of Information and Communications Technology DICT broadband ng masa NIGHT OWL Anna Mae Lamentillo BroadBand ng Masa (BBM) 4757 free Wi-Fi sites build better more
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.