Globe Telecom has urged the government to ramp up investments in digital infrastructure to help narrow the country’s digital divide.
“We believe given the high infrastructure cost, the need for policy reform and digital literacy, bridging the digital divide is not just the job of the private sector alone. It needs to be a whole-of-nation approach, where the government, society and private sector work together,” Emmanuel Estrada, Globe vice president for Regulatory Development and Strategy, said.
“If we don’t do it together, we can’t bridge this gap at all,” he added.
Estrada noted the telecommunications companies in the Philippines have invested a combined P640 billion from 2021 to 2023 to boost the country’s connectivity infrastructure.
According to him, the government could invest more in the sector given the ramping up activities it has undertaken in infrastructure as a whole.
He noted the government is building 54 road projects as part of its infrastructure buildup program but only three relates to digital connectivity and sixteen others pursued under the public – private partnership or PPP mode.
“We expect the government to invest in digital connectivity and ICT as much as it invests on roads,” Estrada said.
He also called on local government units to remove hurdles to the issuance of permits for ICT infrastructure projects.
He noted some LGUs insist on finding ways to make securing permits hard and slow for the telcos despite the issuance of Executive Order 32 meant to streamline the whole process.
“We have a very nice, very forward looking and aspirational Philippine Development Plan. When we start to see all that needs to be done, sometimes we say this is really very tiring. But we cannot do all these by just looking at the private sector,” he lamented.
He said every Filipino should understand and realize what needs to be done and on “what’s in it for them” once digitalization reaches every corner of the country.
“Every element, every stakeholder should contribute and push for it, and make sure nothing gets sidetracked,” Estrada said.
