MANILA -- The World Bank is lending the Philippines $287.24 million for the Philippine Digital Infrastructure Project (PDIP), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Friday. 

In a statement, the DICT said the project will deploy high-speed internet to 772 sites in Mindanao, extending broadband coverage to 10,259 underserved areas.

DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said the project gives Filipinos better access to education, healthcare, and essential government services by giving them better internet. He also noted that it can boost the country's gross domestic product by 1.38 percent.

The PDIP calls for the development of a national fiber optic backbone, extending connectivity to remote regions in Visayas and Mindanao.

"With resilient underground cable installations, it aims to future-proof the country’s digital infrastructure while ensuring that public institutions and underserved communities can participate in the digital economy," the DICT said.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved the PDIP in June.

NEDA approves public broadband network project

DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy had earlier said that the project will mostly cover public schools, state universities, and colleges (SUCs), and rural health centers.

"Even though the entire country has an internet penetration rate of 73.6 percent, approximately 6 million Filipinos have access to internet, this disparity is larger in Mindanao, where in some regions especially Region 13, the internet penetration rate is as lower than 17 percent," he told a press briefing.

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