𝟑 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐙𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐚

Three (3) far-flung island villages in Zamboanga City are provided Internet connectivity through the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)’s Broadband ng Masa program. Secretary Ivan John E. Uy, Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa M. Camba, and Zamboanga city officials launched the new sites last Saturday, October 08, 2022.

Last June 2022, the DICT Region IX BASULTA visited Sacol, a geographically isolated island that houses four (4) barangays, to assess the possibility of providing connectivity to the community. During installation, the Department also discovered two (2) nearby islands–Tigtabon and Pangapuyan–which also suffer from the lack of ICT infrastructure.

“Ikinagagalak ng DICT na maihatid sa mga mamamayan ng Sacol Island ang pagkakataong makagamit ng internet dahil ito ay magbibigay-daan sa napakaraming oportunidad tulad ng online learning, telemedicine, at online banking. Mula sa aming programa, nais naming maiparating ang kahalagahan ng internet at ang access dito ay karapatan ninyo bilang mamamayan ng Pilipinas,“ DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy asserted.

Uy further stressed DICT’s commitment and primary mandate to providing fast and reliable free internet connectivity in hard-to-reach localities in the country through the Broadband ng Masa initiative, following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

To complement the broadband connection, DICT also turned over tablets to each of the following schools: (1) Landang Gua Elementary School, Sacol Island, (2) Landang Laum Elementary School, Sacol Island, (3) Tigtabon Elementary School, and (4) Pangapuyan Elementary School.

“Located approximately 5 kilometers from Zamboanga City’s mainland, the island has long been deprived of robust broadband infrastructure. Even the most basic telecommunications services of making phone calls and sending text messages have been challenging for the locals over the years,” Assistant Secretary for Regional Development Maria Teresa Camba shared. She also concurrently serves as the Regional Director for DICT IX+BASULTA. “Thanks to the magic of Bayanihan, together with our partners and the local community, we are now able to connect Sacol and 2 more nearby islands, Tigtabon and Pangapuyan, through the Broadband ng Masa initiative,” Camba added.