Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

A cellular site tower in Caloocan City on Aug. 6, 2020. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Article (news)

Tower

Raine Musñgi

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175383975095720200806-cell-tower-caloocan-jc-4135.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A cellular site tower in Caloocan City on Aug. 6, 2020. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has accelerated the deployment of its National Fiber Backbone—or what it calls the country’s digital “superhighway.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/6/3/dict-eyes-to-expand-free-wifi-program-to-40-million-by-2028-1638">DICT eyes to expand free WiFi program to 40 million by 2028</a></div><p>The move aims to cut the internet costs for local government units and deliver connectivity to all public schools by December 2025.</p><p>DICT Secretary Henry Aguda told ANC’s Business Outlook that the first three phases, from Batanes to Tacloban, are already operational and have connected some 900 LGUs, significantly boosting the ability of local governments to offer online services efficiently. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TMhosU43N2w?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. had earlier ordered that public school connectivity be raised from 60 percent to 100 percent before year-end. </p><p>Aguda reaffirmed the commitment: “Not just to finish it… but also to do a very good job.” </p><p>To tackle affordability—with the Philippines has among the highest internet costs in ASEAN—the proposed Konektadong Pinoy Bill enshrines users&#x27; rights to accessibility, affordability, and continuity during disasters.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/7/15/6-tech-groups-chime-in-on-konektadong-pinoy-bill-1721">6 tech groups chime in on Konektadong Pinoy bill</a></div><p>Complementing this, bodies such as inter‑island fiber cables, satellite links, and expanded cell sites are planned to spark competition and reduce prices.</p><p>DICT’s “Free Wi‑Fi for All” initiative complements the backbone rollout. As of March 2025, over 17,966 free‑Wi‑Fi sites or “Wi‑Fi4All” hotspots are live across the Philippines, with a plan to reach over 125,000 by 2028.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>DICT EYES LIFETIME JAIL TIME FOR CYBERCRIMINALS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Alongside its infrastructure push, the DICT is ramping up cybersecurity efforts, aiming not only to disrupt scams but to secure convictions as a deterrent strategy.</p><p>Aguda disclosed that authorities recently arrested a foreign‑led group using IMSI catchers, or devices that impersonate cell towers to intercept personal data, in an operation in Cebu that involved Filipino accomplices.</p><p>For Aguda, success is measured not in arrests but in prosecutions. </p><p>“It’s a matter of how many we take to court and jail. Yun yung acid test,” he said.</p><p>The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has a budget of approximately P487 million in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, supplementing a P357 million Cybercrime Program earmarked for investigation and case management. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/5/20/dict-investigating-viral-scam-hub-in-cebu-2054">DICT investigating viral &#x27;scam hub&#x27; in Cebu</a></div><p>International partners are also chipping in. </p><p>South Korea has granted US$26 million to build a cybersecurity center of excellence in Valenzuela, alongside commitments from the U.S. and Israel to support technical assistance </p><p>Aguda underscored the human scale of cybercrime.</p><p>“Until such time that we do not hold these people accountable… the consequences are dire for them.&quot; </p><p>Landmark cases, such as life sentences for repeat offenders, are expected to serve as a deterrent ripple effect across criminal networks.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7OMj2HsJtOo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The DICT is speeding up the "superhighway" roll‑out to cut internet costs and bring 100 percent of public schools online by year‑end.</p>

The DICT is speeding up the "superhighway" roll‑out to cut internet costs and bring 100 percent of public schools online by year‑end.

From fiber to felons: DICT targets 100 pct school internet, cybercrime convictions

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From fiber to felons: DICT targets 100 pct school internet, cybercrime convictions

Raine Musñgi,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 30, 2025 09:43 AM PHT

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Updated July 30, 2025 11:04 AM PHT

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