IN a bid to boost the country’s internet connectivity, senators on Friday sought an increase in the budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). He said he would push for the increased DICT budget in the Senate plenary debate and during the Senate-House of Representatives bicameral conference committee meetings. The DICT had proposed a budget of P18 billion for 2021 but which the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) rejected and trimmed to P902 million. But Senators Mary Grace Poe, Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos and Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano asked the Lacson panel to increase the DICT budget further to allow for the construction of more cell towers throughout the country. Lacson said an office of a senator spends P2 million a year for internet subscription while the Senate secretariat spends P4 million a year.

Source: Manila Times November 20, 2020 16:28 UTC