LIBRE-KONEK | Poe: Free Wifi Zones Will Benefit OFW Families
By: Ernie Reyes, InterAksyon.com
December 22, 2015 4:15 PM
MANILA – Senator and presidential aspirant Grace Poe has one more grown-up Christmas wish aside from peace and prosperity: a free wifi zone in every municipality that will be useful for families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a speech before a gathering of families of migrant workers, Poe said she understands the plight of the more than 10 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have to cope with loneliness abroad, especially during the Christmas season, as she has also lived abroad for years.
“There should be free wifi zones to help you stay in touch with your OFW breadwinners, and also for anyone who needs Internet connectivity. This is your one channel to stay connected. Wifi should not be costly, or slow. That is why I am for setting up free wifi zones in each municipality,” Poe told her audience.
She elaborated that wifi access will not only connect migrant families but also opens doors of opportunities for the unemployed and those in rural areas. The Internet, she noted, has also been crucial for communication in disaster situations.
She also pointed out that access to broadband has been declared a human right by the United Nations as early as 2011, citing it as instrumental to promoting freedom of expression and quality education.
“We have a lot of catching up to do in terms of maximizing the advances in technology. If we are to be globally competitive, and if we want to maintain our status as the business process outsourcing capital of the world, we cannot allow our information and communications infrastructure to stagnate,” Poe said.
There are 1,490 municipalities and 144 cities in the Philippines.
“Internet access does not only bring families closer, it also makes the economy stronger and more inclusive,” Poe said, citing World Bank studies suggesting that every 10 percent increase in broadband connectivity results in a 1% increase in a country’s Gross Domestic Product.