Digital infra, AI upskilling pushed

A GROUP of private sector leaders advising President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on economic concerns has pushed for the upgrade of digital infrastructure in far-flung areas and for more artificial intelligence (AI) upskilling programs to ensure Filipinos have reliable internet services and are able to keep up with new tech.

“The President’s direct engagement in refining policies into practical solutions underscores the urgent need to expand bandwidth for students and families in remote areas while keeping pace with artificial advancements.” Myla Crespo-Villanueva, who heads the Private Sector Advisory Council’s (PSAC) digital infrastructure section and MDI Group Holdings, Inc, chairperson, said in a statement on Tuesday.

PSAC met with the President in Malacañang on Feb. 14 to discuss state efforts to improve rural digital infrastructure this year, the council said in the same statement.

The council said it proposed rolling out a subsidized subscriber identity module (SIM) card program for poor Filipinos to ensure they can access phone services and internet connectivity.

Through the so-called JuanSim ng Bayan program, the council aims to deploy these cards to 510 areas by the end of the year.

It said the Department of Education (DepEd) will be overseeing the program with the help of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DoST) existing rural telecommunications system to support the subsidized SIM card program. 

Under this year’s P6.326-trillion national budget, the Department of Information and Communications Technology has earmarked P7.5 billion to roll out its free public wireless internet access program for far-flung areas this year and to ensure schools can conduct hybrid-learning setups.

A 2022 report by the World Bank showed that only 33% of Philippine households have access to fixed broadband, while 70% of the population have an active mobile broadband subscription.

The cost of broadband internet remains higher in the Philippines than in neighboring countries, with the annual charge for fixed broadband equivalent to 11% of per capita gross national income.

PSAC also called on the government to continue investing in AI infrastructure innovation, and skills development for the workforce.

DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy earlier said that the government is prioritizing a bill that seeks to boost Philippine cybersecurity Manila beefs up its defenses from hackers before midterm elections in May.

In 2022, the Philippines only had about 200 cybersecurity professionals compared with 2,000 in Singapore, Mr. Uy earlier said, noting that 80% of Filipino cyber experts work overseas.

The DICT chief has said the government is finding it hard to attract more cybersecurity experts due to lower pay at about P50,000 a month, compared with about P200,000 in the private sector. — John Victor D. Ordoñez