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On Tuesday, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson gave his full support to the government’s plan to provide free Wi-Fi, especially in remote areas, and to establish a national broadband program.
Lacson vowed to push for a larger budget for the two programs, noting that they will serve as the “backbone of the country’s economy.”
“This is the backbone of our economy. In this age of modern information technology, we have no reason not to catch up with, or keep up with, neighboring countries, considering that the first concern for potential investors would be internet speed, ”Lacson said. at the Department hearing. of Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) and the 2021 budget of the National Telecommunications Commission.
The senator added: “I am a believer in ICT because there is a lot we can do if our ICT are efficient.”
Under scrutiny at the hearing, DICT officials explained that the additional P17,276 million provided in their 2021 budget proposal was aimed at completing the national broadband program to cover hundreds of government offices.
Senators were informed that the program can potentially save P720 million in taxpayer money in its first year of implementation and save P34.25 billion in Internet connectivity expenses over the next five years.
However, officials told legislators that while the DICT’s ideal budget to complete the national broadband program is P18,178,708,149.20, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved only P902,194,000 in the National Spending Program. (NEP).
They added that the DICT also requested P3,625 billion for free Wi-Fi in remote areas, adding that while their ideal budget was P6,350,579,000, only P2,725,461,000 was approved in the NEP.
In turn, Lacson also cited the role of the DICT in helping the integration of government agency databases to further reduce bureaucratic bureaucracy, noting that “in this case, the budgets for the database will be with the departments involved but the DICT will guide the departments on the use of the budgets. “
At the same time, the senator questioned a plan reported by the DBM to present “for later publication,” or FLR, congressional initiatives in the 2021 budget, including institutional amendments.
“Rather than turning in ‘for later publication’ all Congressional initiatives without even consulting with executive agencies, he should have asked interested executive offices how much of their budgets they could not implement and turn them in for later publication. But if their mindset is to automatically label ‘FLR’ anything outside of NEP, including Congressional initiatives, I don’t think it’s healthy, ”Lacson lamented.
