Malolos City, Bulacan – Around 99 percent or 23 out of 24 of local government units in the province have already digitalized their bureaucratic system.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) revealed the information as the agency puts Bulacan at the forefront of various digitalization initiatives, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s push for digital connectivity, as he emphasized in his 4thState of the Nation Address (SONA).

From around 4,000 sites in June of 2022 up, the number of sites that the DICT has installed has grown to 19,000 as of to date, providing free WiFi connectivity to the Filipinos. These include the 534 WiFi sites installed in the province from 2023 up to the present.

DICT Provincial Director Mario Antonio Yong Aya-ay disclosed that apart from installation, the agency also upgraded the internet speed to 100 Mbps from the initial 2 Mbps to better support the increasing connectivity needs of users in Bulacan.

“The launching of eGovPH and the eLGU likewise made the province connected to all government services in just one app,” he added.

eLGU allows citizens to have access to an online one-stop shop LGU system automation such as getting business permit licensing, barangay clearance, building permit, working permit, community tax certificate, local civil registry, occupational permit, health certificates and even LGU online news.

Digitalization efforts also boosted in the aspect of consumer protection when the DICT formally joined the launch of the Market Next project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Under this initiative, public markets in the 20 towns and four cities across Bulacan will soon be connected to faster and more reliable internet connectivity. 

The Market Next project will complement existing projects such as the DTI’s Market Modernization program and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Paleng-QR Ph.

Meanwhile, the education sector continues to benefit from accelerating digital connectivity as DICT piloted the rollout of the Bayanihan SIM Project at the Kalawakan Elementary School in Doña Remedios Trinidad town.

An initial 500 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards were distributed for free to the students and teachers. Each SIM card has 25 gigabytes per month or preferably 25 hours of wide use.

This is part of the effort to make internet access more inclusive and reduce the digital divide among the people living in the far-flung areas of Bulacan.

To ensure a strong internet connection in implementing the said projects, the DICT has accelerated the construction of the common towers under the Shared Passive Telecommunications Tower Infrastructure started in 2020.

This common tower gives a boost to the internet connectivity like in the public schools such as Tibagan Elementary School in San Miguel town and the Kalawakan Elementary School in Doña Remedios Trinidad.