By Venus G. Villanueva
KALIBO, Aklan, May 28 (PIA) — The Free WiFi For All program of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which was recently launched in the province of Aklan, will be a big help to the province and to Aklanons especially in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Governor Florencio T. Miraflores, whose message was read in his behalf by Provincial Administrator Selwyn Ibarreta and who represented him during the virtual launching, COVID-19 has changed the landscape in the provision of education and government responses to communities but with the help of internet connectivity, various government services are being sustained for Aklanons.
He gave as examples the practice now of blended modular learning in the field of education; online health consultation, treatment and prevention of diseases, effective contact tracing of those who had mingled with COVID-19 positive patients, and in enforcing minimum health standards to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
He also mentioned that with free internet connectivity, PhilHealth claims of patients will be faster while mandated provincial reports required by the Department of Health (DOH) are submitted on time.
“We are grateful to the DICT for fast-tracking this project and we are also glad that this has come to fruition,” the Governor said in his message.
For his part, Kalibo mayor Emerson Lachica said the launching of the Free WiFi For All is a significant milestone of progress in enabling the people to keep abreast of the current events that are happening in the country and the whole world.
“Information Technology is fast-changing and evolving, and in emergency situations, first-hand information is often vital to save lives and property. The launching of the Free WiFi For All program solves the problem of inequality between those who have their own WiFi and those who do not,” Lachica said.
In Kalibo, some of the areas with free WIFI sites are the Kalibo Pastrana Park, the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital (DRSTMH), and the Aklan State University (ASU) Kalibo Campus.
All other campuses of ASU, located in Banga (main), Ibajay, New Washington, and Makato are also free WIFI sites and ASU President Dr. Emily Arangote said the university is extremely thankful to be one of the beneficiaries of the program.
“Having access to the internet is not anymore a luxury – it is a necessity for every Filipino who wants to learn in school, continue working remotely, or communicate information in times of crisis. We saw that there is a huge need for free wifi in many areas, especially in Aklan where there are many rural areas that do not get good mobile signal coverage,” Arangote said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Macahilas, Chief of the DRSTMH, said the free WiFi will enable health officials, workers and patients to save a lot.
He said hospital officials and health workers communicate through cell phones, spending cash in buying cellcards, but with the free WiFi, communicating with everyone will be easier.
The virtual launching in Aklan, the fourth in a series of launchings in Western Visayas, was also attended by DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan and other department and regional officials. According to DICT, areas provided with free WIFI are plazas, hospitals, schools, airports,and seaports.
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