ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos eyes Starlink ties to boost PH connectivity

Marcos eyes Starlink ties to boost PH connectivity

Published Nov 19, 2023 01:11 am

At A Glance

  • Marcos said the Philippines is an ideal candidate for satellite broadband as he envisioned a reliable internet speed in the Philippines.

President Marcos has vowed that Filipinos will look at slow internet connection as a thing of the past as he eyes entering into a partnership with satellite internet constellation Starlink to improve connectivity in the Philippines.

Marcos SpaceX (Facebook)
SPACEX TOUR — President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and other members of his delegation visit a SpaceX facility in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 18, 2023. (Bongbong Marcos/Facebook)

Marcos revealed this following a tour of the facilities of SpaceX, an American aerospace company that operates Starlink.

SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell and SpaceX Vice President for Starlink Operations Lauren Dreyer welcomed the President during the facility visit. Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan Uy accompanied him on his visit.

In his speech during his meeting with the Filipino community in Los Angeles, California, the President expressed confidence that the links he has established during his trip to the US will result in the country's "slow" internet becoming a thing of the past.

"In the Philippines, sometimes we still hear about 'mahina 'yung internet (the connection is weak),' but in the near future, through these links that we were able to develop on this trip, we are very confident that we will no longer hear complaints about our internet, our online services," he said.

"We will instead be hearing phrases for the speed of our country's internet connectivity," he added.

According to Marcos, the Philippines is an ideal candidate for satellite broadband as he envisioned a reliable internet speed in the Philippines.

"Ang ating – pitong libo ang ating isla (Our 7,000 islands), that vast archipelago is an ideal candidate for satellite broadband service, and we look forward to improving broadband connectivity in the Philippines through Starlink and through all the others," he said.

The President emphasized that an existing satellite for communications is already designed for the Philippines, which is expected to boost the country's connectivity and increase people's productivity.

He said that the government also hopes to take full advantage of the new technologies to provide solutions to the challenges that the new era of digitalization brings.

"Kaya ay hinahanap namin lahat ng pamamaraan (That's why we're looking for ways) to take full advantage of the new technologies that are available to us that will increase the productivity of our people," Marcos said.

President Marcos said he had ordered DICT Secretary Uy to ensure the project would push through as he emphasized the need to adopt and recognize the appropriate technology and bring it to the Philippines.

Starlink's satellite internet is touted to have a significant advantage with respect to connecting to areas that are difficult to reach, like rural communities and island provinces and barangays.

Beaming internet signals directly from space, the company ensures broader and better coverage without the need for extensive infrastructure, thus making it more cost-efficient.

SpaceX was founded by American tech mogul Elon Musk, whom Marcos failed to meet in San Francisco as the former supposedly fell sick.

Related Tags

Bongbong Marcos spacex PBBM in USA STARLINK President Marcos
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.