DICT to boost connectivity, ICT job generation in rural areas

The Philippine government will focus on improving connectivity in rural areas to support the growing number of ICT jobs outside Metro Manila, a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) official said over the weekend.

With the advances and opportunities brought by the digital revolution, DICT Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue said the ratio of digital jobs in provinces is expected to increase to more than half a million by 2028.

“[N]oon 80 percent ng digital jobs are in Metro Manila and 20 percent pinaghahati-hatian sa probinsiya. Now we’re almost reaching a 50:50 mark (In the past, 80 percent of the digital jobs are in Metro Manila and 20 percent are spread across provinces. Now we’re almost reaching a 50:50 mark),” she said at the Saturday News Forum.

“We have a lot of digital jobs in the countryside and ang projection po ng ating industry is by 2028, we will probably have 55 percent of the additional 1.2 million jobs na (ang) madada- gdag sa ating current number ay magiging nasa probinsiya na (our projection is that by 2028, at least 55 percent of the additional 1.2 million jobs would be in the province),” she added.

FinanceSecretary Benjamin Diokno, the Marcos administration’s chief economic manager, said the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) —Philippines’ very first sovereign wealth fund— is expected to be operational before the end of the year.

Sigue noted that gaps continue to exist as most investments and infrastructures are concentrated in Metro Manila.

These days, the connectivity projects of DICT are focused on marginalized and GIDA (geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas), Sigue said.

The DICT official said the agency has also started a national broadband project with a landing station in Baler, Aurora to cover the whole country.

It will take six years to fully cover the whole country, Sigue estimated.

The National Fiber Backbone Phase 1 Spectrum light-up at the Baler Cable Landing Station (CLS) will initially provide high-speed internet connectivity in Luzon.

The event, held in April, facilitated the initial 100 gigabits per second link-up between Los Angeles, California in the United States and City of San Fer-

In his weekly briefing, Diokno expressed optimism that the Maharlika Fund bill, after being approved by Congress early last week with the House of Representatives adopting the Senate version during the bicameral conference committee meeting, will be signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before he delivers his second State of the

Nation Address on July 24.

This as the measure is set to be enrolled and transmitted for the approval and signature of the President.

Once enacted into law, Diokno said, “We’re expected to prepare the IRR [implementing rules and regulations]. We’re expected to look for people to man the MIC [Maharlika Investment Corpora-

tion].”

The MIC, a government-owned company, will manage the sovereign wealth fund, MIF—a pool of funds sourced from state-run financial institutions that will be invested in high-impact projects, real estate, as well as in financial instruments.

“That’s the direction and I see this to be fully operational before the end of the year,” the Finance chief said.

The MIF bill states that the Maharlika Fund would be created using:

FDIOKNO, P10