UNDP lauds Lanao Sur gov for free WiFi roll out
In a memorandum released on 23 October to all city and municipal mayors of the Province of Lanao del Sur, Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. expressed his staunch support to the swift implementation of the DICT-UNDP Free WiFi-for-All Program, emphasizing that “the Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur will facilitate the rapid rollout in the province.”
Under the direction of Secretary Gregorio Honasan II, the Free WiFi-for-All Program is a flagship project of the Department of Communications and Information Technology (DICT) that aims to provide free internet to 104,867 sites across the Philippines by 2022.
Over the last three years, the DICT has faced the challenge of reaching the last mile and providing internet access to the most remote and disadvantaged communities in the country. To date, much of their efforts have been focused on more populated areas with better telecommunication infrastructure in place.
The DICT tapped the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines in expediting project delivery for the program and in reaching 6,000 remote areas where connectivity is most needed.
By January of 2020 – within merely nine months of the partnership – UNDP aims to have 4,500 of far-flung, at-risk and vulnerable sites under implementation. Of these chosen locations, over 1,000 are in Lanao del Sur, with the support of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The Free WiFi-for-All Program collaboration with the DICT allows UNDP to draw on its global expertise in connecting remote communities and supporting digital literacy programs.
The support of Governor Adiong and the mayors in the province will be critical in facilitating the successful and rapid implementation of the program in Lanao del Sur, where access to internet will be a critical in improving livelihood, access to information and better education, and improved delivery of social services through digital platforms.