Bigger budget for digital infrastructure in Philippines sought

Greater budget allocation in the 2025 budget and succeeding cycles should be prioritized to plug the gaps in digital infrastructure raised by President Marcos during his State of the Nation Address last Monday, a top international think tank said.

Stratbase Institute president Victor Andres Manhit said that aside from economic development and inclusive growth, connectivity is most crucial in post-disaster efforts as is being seen in the aftermath of Typhoon Carina, and in preventing similar damage and destruction through information sharing and dissemination.

'The President said some P3 trillion in total investments in various sectors have already been green lane certified,' he said.

'This is well and good, but our legislators should already be looking ahead and prioritize the funding of Phases 2 and 3 of the national fiber backbone as soon as possible.'

During the SONA, President Marcos reported that Phase 1 of the National Fiber Backbone has been operationalized, with the next two phases expected to be completed by 2026. The backbone intends to improve the number of households in the Philippines connected to the internet, which in 2022 stood at just 77 percent of 20.6 million households.

'It is heartening that the President acknowledged the initiative and participation of private sector partners in accomplishing our nation's connectivity goals,' Manhit said, as Marcos committed that reforms in policies and streamlining processes will have full government support.

In his speech, the President mentioned the nearly 10 million unique user devices benefiting from free internet in over 13,000 locations in the country.

'But while much has been done, a lot more needs to be accomplished so that our economy can truly become digitally empowered, and our people truly digitally capable,' Manhit added.

The Telecom Review recently ranked the Philippines the 41st in the world in terms of internet speed. 'This is compounded by the great disparity among regions in terms of consistency and quality of the connectivity,' Manhit said.

'It is here where IT infrastructure is crucial. Without sufficient investments in digital infrastructure, the plan will unfortunately remain in the critical wish list and will again be nagging problem in the next SONA.'

In his speech, the President said he wants to ensure that the speed and quality of the country's information technology development always mirrors the pace and trajectory of our economic aspirations.

Manhit also underscored that the digital gap in the Philippine education system remains glaring, with thousands of schools across the country still lacking access to the internet as well as to computers, smart TVs, essential programs, and digital books.

'In the digital age, education can no longer exist offline because so much material and potential sources of knowledge are already available online. All students must be able to gain access to this knowledge,' Manhit said, adding that this will nurture the youth's creativity and innovation that opens their minds to a borderless world of ideas and opportunities.