“Access to the Internet is a right that every Filipino should enjoy and benefit from."

Thus, said UniTeam senatorial bet Jinggoy Estrada Friday, April 22, even as he noted that the Philippines has the highest “Internet poor” population in Southeast Asia.

Citing the Austria-based World Data Labs Internet Poverty Index, Estrada said that out of 169 countries surveyed, the Philippines ranked 38th among nations deemed Internet poor as a share of the population.

The survey, he said, indicates that 58 million Filipinos, or more than half of the Philippine population, cannot afford a 1 gigabyte-per-month Internet package.

“In this critical time of the pandemic, when Filipinos badly need Internet connection to work from home or study online, it’s most unfortunate that they can’t afford even the most basic, or cheapest internet service,” he stressed.

The former senator said the situation is even worse when viewed at the household level. Citing the 2020 National ICT Household Survey, he said a whopping 84.3 percent or eight out of 10 Philippine households do not have internet connection.

“In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), 95 percent of households are without Internet access,” he stressed.

Estrada said Internet speed isn't even the issue but simple access to the Web. For this reason, the veteran lawmaker said he will prioritize the provision of subsidies on the cost of Internet service to the poor.

Similarly, he is advocating for the swift creation of a national broadband network to provide free Internet access and connect government agencies including households in remote areas.

With the World Data Labs survey result, Estrada said it can be deduced that more than half of students relying on distance learning in response to the pandemic was denied of interaction with their classmates and teachers for the past two years.

“It’s not far-fetched that half of the country's youth relied entirely on printed modules for their education, which is insufficient to prepare them for a knowledge-based, Internet-dependent future,” he added.

Estrada said skills for emerging jobs require familiarity with technology and the Internet, which is out of reach for most Filipinos for the simple reason that they can't afford to link to the Worldwide Web.

He underscored that access to the Internet has become a basic service that is essential to each Filipino household, like electricity and water.