Transcript of Sen. Bam Aquino's interview after
hearing on Free Wi-Fi in public places

Q: Iyong inefficiency of business processes - that's why they can't put up proper infrastructure to provide better services.

Sen. Bam: Yes. Iyon ang isang lumabas sa hearing. [We tackled] the Free wifi bill. There are at least four or five bills right now na nagtutulak na magkaroon ng free WIFI sa public places. In fairness, ang DICT - mayroon silang 12,000 public places that they commit to put WIFI in by November 2017. By the end of the year, about 5,000 public places [will have free wifi]. Naka-budget na po ito. The bills are there to make sure that batas na ito. We're very supportive - a lot of Senators are very supportive.

But ang isang lumabas ay ang telcos - ang sabi po nila ay kahit gusto po nila magtayo ng facilities, nakakabangga po nila ang LGUs. In fact, si Sec. Salalima of DICT said na we need to have a provision in the law to fast-track securing of permits.

Q: That's why they're drafting an EO?

Sen. Bam: That's why they're drafting an EO. That's why we will probably file a counterpart bill para maging batas ang EO na iyon to fast-track itong pagtaas ng mga facilities at saka mga infrastructure.

Iyong isa kasing na-mention ng isang telco, they had budget for 1,000 cell sites but they are only able to put up less than half. So less than 500 ang natayo nila kasi nahirapan sila sa mga permits at sa ease of doing business with the local government units. That means that 500 cell sites probably makakabilis iyan sa ating internet. Magkakaroon pa ng access sa mga iba't-ibang lugar. We want to make sure that ang mga balakid na ito matanggal na natin para talagang maitulak na ang free WIFI.

Q: Ito lang ba talaga ang problema?

Sen. Bam: There are a lot of problems.

Q: Does it all boil down to the LGUs?

Sen. Bam: Iyong ease of doing business is one problem, iyong ating kakulangan ng infrastructure sa mga malalayong lugar is also another problem. Of course iyong telcos natin nakafocus sila sa mga lugar na dense, maraming tao at commercially viable. There are areas na mas liblib.

Pinagusapan rin kanina na baka dito kailangan mag-invest ang gobyerno gaya ng ginawa ng ibang mga bansa, na iyong mga malalayong lugar - ang goberyno iyong nag-invest to put up infrastructure in those areas. So that will be discussed in the next hearing kapag ready na iyong DICT na mag-present ng national broadband plan.

The other thing we discussed also, kasi joint ito na education and science and technology, is iyong state ng connectivity sa ating mga eskwelahan at nakakabahala sa akin na sa report po ng DepEd, only 26% ng ating mga eskwelahan ang may internet connectivity. And to think, mayroon silang milyun-milyung budget para i-connect iyong ating mga eskwelahan sa internet.

Only about 1/4th ang may kakayahang i-connect ito dahil may kakulangan po talaga sa infrastructure at kakulangan sa internet signal. So this is something that we ask the telcos, DICT and DepEd to do. Magsama-sama sila para at least within the next year, maisama ang ating public schools at saka SUCs doon sa roll-out ng pagkakaroon ng wifi sa mga eskwelehan.

Q: 12,000 schools?

Sen. Bam: Hindi sa lahat. In fact I think it's probably just a few thousand because wala ngang signal. Kapag walang signal, ang ibig sabihin, walang infrstructure. So nakikita po natin na ang access ng internet sa ating bansa, may mga limitations pa rin.

Aside from the quality, aside from the price, iyong mas basic pong access ang gusto nating tugunan - na in our public schools and our SUCs at least, dapat mayroong connectivity. And this is because, and na-mention na rin ng DepEd, kung iyong mga eskwelahan po natin hindi maka-connect sa internet, kaagad-agad iyong competitiveness nila may ceiling. Hindi na sila agad competitive gaya ng mga eskwelehan dito (sa Maynila) at gaya ng mga eskwelahan sa buong mundo.

So by providing internet connectivity in our schools, we're allowing our schools to be taken to the future. Para ho sa amin, for the Committee on Education, gusto po natin makita ang roadmap - kung paano ang 26% ay magiging 100% at kung ilang years ang kinakailangan natin para ma-fulfill po natin iyong goal na maging connected ang lahat ng mga eskwelahan natin.

Q: How big or serious is a problem that we need emergency powers for the president?

Sen. Bam: Well, actually si DICT Sec. Salalima ang nagsabi na mismo hindi naman kailangan ng emergency powers. Kailangan lang ng political will, kailangan po ng mga pagtutulungan in the private sector and the public sector.

Nasabi rin po ng DepEd kanina na isa ito sa priorities nila na i-connect iyong ating mga eskwelahan sa internet, bring it to the future and this is something we take seriously for our committee. This is an advocacy na matagal na ho naming pinaglalaban but now, siguro mas paglalaban pa kasi pagdating sa mga eskwelahan natin, kung hindi sila connected, wala silang access to learning materials, wala silang access to materials that could really support and enhance iyong learning capabilities ng ating mga kabataan.

So this is something we're taking very seriously.

And we're happy to see na medyo nagulat rin ang mga telcos. And they do want to work with DepEd and DICT now, to make sure na mas konektado ang mga eskwelahan natin.