Team DailyPedia
Slow, but expensive is how one could describe internet services in the Philippines. During last year’s 13th Youth Congress on Information Technology, Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos, a research fellow at LIRNEasia (Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies Asia), revealed that internet service providers (ISPs) in the country provide 70% to 80% less of what they promise to subscribers.
Within the Asian Region, Philippine ISPs offer the lowest value for your money. Santos explained that “Ideally, there are more kilobytes per second you receive for every piso you pay. But it shows here that one kilobyte per peso is what we get, which is very low compared to other countries.”
In a CNN Philippines online article last November, the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) admitted that the Philippines does indeed have slower internet speeds compared to other countries in Asia. The commission attributes the slow speed to a lack of government subsidy and the country’s geography or difficulties faced in interconnecting all the islands in the peninsula.
Perhaps keeping in mind this seeming lack of subsidy, Senator Grace Poe promised that if elected as president, she would allocate 7% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to infrastructure development, which includes—not only the improvement of internet services, but also—the development of roads, airports, seaports, and railroads.
Speaking at the UP Bahay ng Alumni last September, the senator said that “Di ito (the internet) dapat kasing-bagal ng mga sasakyan sa EDSA… Kung di kaya ng pribadong sektor, isusulong ko ang isang government-supported industrialization at IT plan para makalikha ng industriya.” ([The internet] should not move as slowly as the vehicles on EDSA. If the private sector cannot handle it, I will put in place a government-supported industrialization and IT plan to create industry.)
Regarding the private sector, if Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte takes the presidential seat, he would gather all the telcos together and ask them, “Ano bang problema n’yo? (What’s your problem?)” This he said at a UP forum last February.
“Wala akong panahong makipagdaldalan (I don’t have time for small talk),” the tough-talking mayor said. Although he was also quick to point out that he was not that tech-savvy, saying “Cellphone ko ‘yung de-pindot lang (My cellphone is not even a touch screen).”
