Ginatilan school among 15 last miler schools now online

CEBU, Philippines — Salamanca National High School in Ginatilan, Cebu is now among the 15 last miler schools in the country with internet access. This milestone comes through the joint efforts of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Education (DepEd), which continue to bridge the digital divide in underserved communities.

Rowena Signuit, a teacher at Salamanca NHS, said the internet has transformed their learning environment as it enables faster lessons, easier research, and renewed hope among students.

According to DepEd, Teacher Rowena had the opportunity to share this development with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., Education Secretary Sonny Angara, and ICT Secretary Henry Aguda during a virtual dialogue with school heads, teachers, and students from newly connected schools.

“Maraming salamat po sa ibinigay na free WiFi for all! We’re very happy and thankful po sa mga free WiFi dahil nagkaroon kami ng pag-asa,” she said.

President Marcos highlighted the importance of connectivity. “Marami talagang magagawa kapag may internet na. Pararamihin pa namin ito, especially sa GIDA areas—yung mga isolated at underserved,” he said.

Education Secretary Angara echoed the President’s message during his visit to Datu Saldong Domino Elementary School in Agusan del Norte, which now runs on solar power and is equipped with Starlink units, tablets, and Smart TVs through partnerships with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and FDC Misamis Power Corporation.

“Ito ang digital bayanihan in action. Kapag kinokonekta natin ang mga paaralan, kinokonekta rin natin ang mga estudyante sa mas magandang kinabukasan,” Angara said.

Under the leadership of ICT Secretary Aguda, the DICT has committed to connect all public schools in the country to the internet by the end of 2025.

Initiatives such as the Free Public Internet Access program, Bayanihan SIM, and infrastructure expansion projects are helping drive this nationwide digital transformation. — (FREEMAN)