Philippines Gets Free Wi-Fi Access Starting July 2015

The Philippine government will provide free WiFi in the entire country starting 2015. The good news was announced recently after the Senate in helping the country in terms of technology.

According to Taho news, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto filed Senate Bill No. 2232 or the “Free Metro Manila WiFi Act of 2014.”

Senator Recto said that “free public Wi-Fi will help farmers, traders, teachers, and students to get immediate access to online information, and for the families of OFWs as well.”

He also added that “the reason behind this is that if you’re a son of an overseas Filipino worker and you would like to Skype with your father who is in the Middle East because a member of the family has been stricken ill, then you can do it within the hospital premises,”

The Senate version of the 2015 national budget has allocated P3 billion for the setting up of free Wi-Fi spots all over the country to enable Internet access for the public.

Recto said “the Wi-Fi funding was a result of the Senate’s decision to defer by one year the lease-purchase by the DBM of laptops which will later be issued to selected government employees.”

“I think it is the win-win situation. We set up the access points first. Kasi ngayon ang ang teachers, halimbawa, ay may mga smartphones na. Ang problema nila ay hindi sila maka-connect sa Internet. Then kung nakatayo na ito, we bring in the laptops.”-Recto added.

DOST would be installing WiFi in airports, restaurants and public places.

“If our vehicular highways are congested, then we should tap the information highway and we can telecommute if the infra is there,” Recto said.

According to IT experts, “this project will be able to help people in provinces with education, especially in since they will have access to government databases. It also offers a cheaper alternative to long-distance phone calls.”