The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has activated thousands of previously offline areas under the Broadband ng Masa (BBM) and Free Wi-Fi for All programs of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Reporting its accomplishments for 2022, the DICT said 4,757 live sites were activated in 17 regions, 75 provinces and the National Capital Region under the government’s digitalization initiative.

This is in addition to 606 cities and municipalities which have undergone digitalization.

To promote investments, the DICT carried out the Digital Startup Development and Acceleration Program (DSDAP), led the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) ICT cluster for the year 2022-2025, and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore’s ministry of communications and information.

In order to improve bureaucratic efficiency, the DICT launched the e-Gov Super App, the country’s first one-stop platform for local and national government services that will streamline processes and transactions and ensure ease of doing business for Filipinos.

To ensure social protection, the DICT pushed for the passage of the SIM Card Registration Act, monitored more than 1,000 cybersecurity threats, conducted sessions on Data Privacy Act, and launched Cybersecurity Awareness programs.

The DICT also listed in its year-end report its plans and targets for next year.

These include plans for digital infrastructure, investment promotion, as well as improvements in bureaucratic efficiency.

Under its digital infrastructure thrust, the DICT plans to complete the Broadband ng Masa’s Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) Phase 1 in the first half of 2023, launch more than 15,000 free Wi-Fi sites, and improve satellite connectivity with Starlink and Satellite Systems Providers and/or Operators (SSPOs).

To promote investments, the Digital Cities Program will set up Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) locations in 31 cities by 2025 to generate jobs in the countryside.

The DICT will also push for the development and implementation of interagency initiatives such as the National ID of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), iLGU of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Vaxcert of the Department of Health (DOH), E-Commerce of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and OFW App of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

The DICT will also play a significant part in the implementation of the SIM Card Registration Law, being the agency mandated to collect SIM Card registries from public telecommunications entities (PTEs) and maintain the records.

And to protect the country from online threats, the DICT will develop the National Cybersecurity Plan for 2023. Presidential News Desk