This Christmas, my wish is simple: that leaders in the telecommunications industry and government agencies handling digital technology speak candidly to the President about the true state of our telco and connectivity landscape.
Public statements about nationwide connectivity—such as the idea that once the “Konektadong Pinoy Bill” is passed, connectivity should reach the entire archipelago—sound inspiring. But they risk oversimplifying a reality that is far more complicated. Universal connectivity is not achieved by legislation alone. It requires infrastructure, sustained investment, and long-term operational capacity. And the hard truth is that many telecom players, even those willing to expand, cannot easily justify building costly networks in far-flung areas where returns are uncertain.
In fact, we do not even need to look to distant islands and mountain communities to see the gaps. Even in Metro Manila, many subscribers still experience unreliable service. If this is the case in the country’s most commercially viable area, what more in places where building and maintaining towers, fiber lines, and power systems is significantly harder and more expensive?
If connectivity is truly the goal, then we should also talk seriously about accountability and support systems. Why not establish a clear, accessible trunk line or central hotline where people can report persistent outages and service failures—and where those complaints are routed to solutions, not just logged and forgotten? Connectivity is not only about building new infrastructure; it is also about maintaining the networks we already have and responding quickly when they fail.
And let me be blunt: there was a time when we did not even have DICT yet, and ASTI was more than enough to deliver many of the things DICT still struggles to execute today. Before DICT existed, the Advanced Science and Technology Institute was already doing serious work in ICT research and government network initiatives. That era proved something important—competence, technical depth, and execution matter more than having a bigger bureaucracy or louder public messaging. If anything, it should push today’s leadership to ask: why did certain things feel more functional then, and what exactly changed?
DICT is a complex agency, but for those who understand the terrain, its challenges are navigable. That is why public messaging must be careful and accurate. Statements that overpromise can mislead citizens and create expectations that the industry and government are not yet equipped to meet.
What makes this even more frustrating is that Filipinos are undeniably capable. We are among the best global talent pools in technology. We have seen students and young innovators build practical systems in days or weeks—like the tools developed to help people find support and resources during disasters in Cebu. These examples prove that the expertise exists here at home. Yet, paradoxically, we still encounter decision-makers—and even some personnel in critical agencies—who do not fully understand how technology works at the operational level. During emergencies, it is alarming to hear that some cannot even identify where their “last mile” connectivity is coming from.
This gap between talent and governance becomes clearer when major projects are discussed. During budget hearings at the House of Representatives, the DICT—through Rep. Bryan Llamanzares—mentioned plans to build data centers across the Philippines. Before committing to such massive undertakings, the agency should study the current landscape carefully. We already have many data centers in the country. Building one can be straightforward; maintaining it, securing it, powering it, staffing it, and keeping it resilient year after year is the real challenge.
Technology should be one of the country’s greatest assets—a tool to help the Philippines rise, modernize, and compete. But to do that, we need less hype and more honesty. Less grand announcing, more grounded planning. Less political soundbite, more technical reality—and stronger execution that matches the talent we already have.
Still, there is good news worth highlighting. A promising measure—the “Sana All May WiFi Bill,” an act providing cheaper and more accessible internet for all—has been championed by Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Bong Teves since the 18th Congress. If pursued seriously and implemented thoughtfully, this could be one meaningful step toward making internet access more affordable and more widely available.
This Christmas, my hope is not for perfect connectivity overnight. My hope is for truth, realism, competence—and the courage to admit where we are, so we can finally build what we actually need.