MANILA (PIA) — The administration is hell-bent on ramping up the country’s infrastructure development, with reliable internet connectivity topping the long list of its priorities.
In delivering his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. highlighted significant progress in various infrastructure programs in Metro Manila and adjoining regions.
This comes as the President gave a premium on the completion of Phase One of the National Fiber Backbone (NFB), a fiber optic project aimed at increasing internet connectivity service capacity in various provinces, government offices, and data centers in the Philippines.
Citing the NFB project’s significance to education, health, energy, housing, transport, and information technology, Marcos lauded implementing government agencies for what he aptly described as a “sustained, strategic, and on schedule” project despite the challenges that came along the way.
According to the President, the government finds it imperative to focus on the improvement of the country’s digital infrastructure, even as he boasted of the NFB project’s target, which is to provide sufficient bandwidth capacity by 2026.
“As part of our internet infrastructure development, phase 1 of the National Fiber Backbone has been completed and operationalized. Phases 2 and 3 have already begun early this year and will be completed by 2026. This fiber backbone will give us sufficient capacity in terms of bandwidth,” Marcos assured.
“Together with our private sector partners, we will efficiently harness the concept of common towers to provide connectivity to Filipinos who are at the far end of the last mile. Expect full government support to ensure the successful completion of this critical project, including policy reforms and streamlined processes,” he added.
Relatedly, Marcos also emphasized government efforts to expand free public WiFi access, with nearly 10 million unique user devices already benefiting from the program across the country.
“Sa ating Free Wi-Fi Program, halos 10 milyong unique user devices ang nakikinabang sa libreng internet sa mahigit 13,000 lugar sa buong Pilipinas. Nasasagap ito sa marami nating mga paaralan at mga malalayo at liblib na mga pook. Patuloy pa ang ating pinararami ang mga libreng WiFi sa buong bansa,” he said.
(With our Free WiFi Program, almost 10 million unique user devices already benefit from free internet in more than 13,000 places throughout the Philippines. Its signal covers our schools and other remote areas. We’re already working on putting up more of its kind across the archipelago.)
In the transportation sector, the President highlighted the significant progress made in various road and expressway projects.
This includes the completion of major segments of the Luzon Spine Expressway Network, including C-LEX, NLEX-SLEX Connector, and the Plaridel Bypass, all of which are expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.
Additionally, the government assured sufficient funds to defray the cost of upgrading hundreds of kilometers of roads and bridges along the Maharlika Highway, connecting Luzon to Mindanao.
The administration has also made strides in the railway network, with the Metro Manila Subway Project logging significant accomplishments in tunneling works. Other projects, such as the MRT-7 and the North-South Commuter Railway, are ongoing.
Regarding aviation infrastructure, Marcos noted that the ongoing modernization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), through a public-private partnership (PPP), is expected to transform what has earlier been referred to as the world’s worst airport into a world-class facility.
Furthermore, the government has completed more than 70 airport and seaport development projects across the country, with 350 other projects expected to be completed by 2028.
The President likewise emphasized the importance of addressing right-of-way issues to ensure the smooth implementation of government infrastructure initiatives, as well as the crucial role of the institutionalized PPP mechanism in facilitating strategic investments and the timely development of projects.
“With the results that we have seen two years into this administration, we can claim that despite challenges, we are steadily progressing towards our targets in the medium term,” Marcos quipped, underscoring the administration’s commitment to building a more modern and interconnected Philippines. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
