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Connecting DepEd schools to the internet: Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda emphasizes the importance of connecting schools, especially those that are located in remote areas, to the internet to help children in their learning. During the Senate Finance subcommittee D hearing on the proposed P758.69 billion 2024 budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) and attached agencies, Legarda asked for a database of all DepEd schools across the country with zero internet connectivity – whether through fiber optic or through satellite. Citing her experience in her home province of Antique, Legarda described as “life changing” if the province was able to install a Starlink technology to connect DepEd schools, located in the remote mountain area, to the internet. “When we look at the budget of the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), they should target and put in their budget learning as a priority. If DepEd could share that [list] to DICT, it can be a Senate amendment to include schools with big learning population but zero connectivity,” Legarda said Wednesday, September 4, 2023. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)