Last week, a youth group, Sinag Kabataan, successfully demonstrated that satellite internet service could end the isolation of far-flung areas, communications-wise, in the province of Catanduanes.
Sinag President Fred Benedict T. Gianan, along with Dugui Too resident and Sinag member Leojames Gianan, brought a Starlink device, complete with tripod-mounted satellite dish, cable and router to the hinterland barangay of Dugui Too.
They were accompanied personnel of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), who were instructed by Virac Mayor Samuel Laynes to see if the device would indeed deliver of its promise of fast and reliable internet even in mountainous areas.
There, at the elementary school and in the presence of barangay captain Demcint Beo, teachers and residents, MDRRMO Mark Matira made the Messenger video call on his cellphone that allowed Beo to converse with the chief executive.
In all, a total of 17 devices were connected to the WiFi router, which delivered a download speed of 157 Mbps, faster than that of a wired internet connection in the población.
The device was also tested in at least four barangays along the western coast of the capital town where communications signals are either woefully or absent, forcing residents and students alike go to elevated areas to get a signal.
With the success of the test, Mayor Laynes is seriously considering the acquisition of several units to be deployed in the three Dugui barangays as a priority and in the other ‘isolated’ villages.
Last Monday, March 20, 2023, Sinag Kabataan appeared at the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to push the group’s advocacy for the government to prioritize the acquisition and deployment of Starlink kits to so-called Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) like the three Dugui barangays.
It may be recalled that in August 2021 as the blended modular and online classes began, Sinag called on the government to acquire satellite internet devices to be deployed in barangay halls of such areas and address not only the communications need of residents and students but also help the government in disaster response and relief operations.
“The total cost may reach millions but education and disaster response are invaluable for the people of Catanduanes,” Gianan stressed in a Facebook post.
Picking up the youth leader’s idea, Provincial Board Member Robert Fernandez sponsored a resolution calling on the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to establish satellite internet access in far-flung barangays without internet connection in the province of Catanduanes.
More than two years after the measure was unanimously approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and with Starlink now operating in the Philippines, it is now time for the provincial leadership to follow up the SP’s request with DICT.
No less than DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy has said that the government can shoulder the cost of deploying and connecting far-flung communities via Starlink “until such time there is an economic upliftment in the communities.”
It only takes funding of P31,000 for the kit and a minimum of P2,700 monthly to avail of the satellite internet service, for an outlay of P63,400 for the first year and P32,400 thereafter.
For the three Dugui barangays, it would cost the local government a total of less than P200,000.00 this 2023, a measly amount compared to the millions lost in graft-ridden infrastructure projects.
The funding could easily be charged to any LGU’s Calamity Fund, as it would be invaluable during and after the frequent typhoons that hit the island.
Allowing residents of such isolated areas the luxury of communicating with their children and relatives elsewhere and providing school children a much-needed utility would be the icing on the proverbial cake.
Local leaders have five months to give them the Starlink service as a gift before the typhoon season rolls in by September.