PBBM PUSHES UNIFIED ACTION TO BRING INTERNET SERVICES TO ISOLATED, DISADVANTAGED AREAS

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday called for cooperation among various sectors to address the broadband access challenges confronting geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) in the country.

“Kumilos tayo na may isang hangarin: ang maghatid ng pag-asa, ng ginhawa, at pagkakataon sa bawat Pilipino,” President Marcos addressed the participants of the Philippine Telecommunications Summit 2026 in Pasay City.

The Chief Executive said while urban centers enjoy high-speed and reliable internet service, many rural and remote areas continue to face connectivity challenges.

These connectivity gaps affect real lives, limit access to education, constrain economic opportunity, and slow national progress, the President said, noting that delay in permits, right-of-way restrictions, fiber cuts, and power interruptions widen the divide.

“Ito ang dahilan kung bakit mahalaga ang ating pagtutulungan. Kailangang magkaisa Ang pamahalaan, ang pribadong sektor, at mga lokal na pamayanan—sapagkat walang iisang sektor ang kayang harapin ang mga hamong ito,” President Marcos emphasized.

The government, through the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), is carrying out reforms to make internet services cheaper and faster.

Part of these reforms, the President said, was the enactment of the Konektadong Pinoy Act that removed long-standing barriers that slowed progress and limited competition.

The government has also implemented the Free Public Internet Access Program that maintains over 9,500 active free Wi-Fi access points in 5,057 public places, bringing more opportunities to Filipinos.

To promote inclusion, the President cited the Bayanihan SIM Card Project that provided public school students, teachers, and indigent communities with over 89,400 subsidized SIM cards, each with monthly data allocations.

President Marcos thanked the private sector for their commitment to investing more in the country’s telecommunications sector, and local government units for their cooperation in improving internet services across the country.

“We look forward to greater connectivity and coverage, so that faster and more reliable communications will reach more lives and more will be touched by this technology,” the President said.

Organized by the DICT, the Telecommunications Summit 2026 serves as a venue to get stakeholders’ commitments and create coordinated actions to improve information and communications technology infrastructure and service quality; reduce internet costs; expand high-speed internet coverage; promote inclusive digital access; and advance digital competitiveness and resilience.