THE DEPARTMENT of Information and Communications Technology set up free internet sites in Occidental and Oriental Mindoro.

The establishment of the internet hubs was in line with the department’s Free WiFi for All project.

Occidental Mindoro 2nd District Rep. Alfonso Umali, Jr. was pleased with the new hubs, saying that internet access has become a necessity especially with the country’s shift to distance learning.

“Sa ngayon, sa teknolohiya halos umiikot ang mundo ng mga makabagong Filipino, subalit dahil sa hirap ng buhay, marami ang napagkakaitan ng pagkakataong maramdaman ang pag-unlad na dala ng makabagong teknolohiya. Kaya bahagi ng responsibilidad na nakaatang sa ating DICT ay ilapit ang teknolohiya sa ating mga kababayan, at natutuwa po ako sa programang Free Wi-Fi for All sapagkat nailalapit natin ang mga kababayan natin sa mga biyaya ng Internet na talaga namang kapaki-pakinabang sa lahat, lalo sa ating mga mag-aaral,” he said.

DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said that access to internet is a right of every Filipino and it is the duty of the government to provide them internet access.

“It is this administration’s strong stand that Internet is a right. Access to data is a right — much like food, water, shelter, education, and healthcare, among others. Thus, it is the duty of the government to ensure that this right is afforded to every Filipino citizen — that every Filipino is connected to the Internet, regardless of where they are in the Philippines,” he said.

The DICT has installed more than 4,000 WiFi stations nationwide.

It targets  to set up 10,000 WiFi hubs by the end of 2020 and 104,000 hotspots in 2023.