THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) called for the immediate approval of the Konektadong Pinoy bill, which it expects to help bolster growth in education and agriculture.
“The Konektadong Pinoy Bill is crucial to the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, as it will usher advancements across various sectors, including ICT (information and communications technology), education, health, and agriculture,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan was quoted as saying in a statement.
The bill “aligns with the government’s commitment to ensuring fast, reliable, and affordable internet access for all Filipinos,” NEDA said.
Senate Bill No. 2699 or the Konektadong Pinoy bill seeks to make internet access more affordable and equitable even in remote areas by promoting fair competition and removing barriers to entry in the data transmission industry.
The bill will help bridge the digital divide and allow the Philippines to add momentum to the growth of the digital economy, NEDA said in a policy note published in February.
The proposed law divides the data transmission network to four key main segments — international gateway facilities; the core or backbone network; the so-called middle mile; and the so-called last mile. It may also include any other segment defined by the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
Under the bill, a data transmission industry participant would be “allowed to deploy satellite technology and use associated spectrum in any or all segments of their broadband network without the need to go through lease or rent capacity.”
It also seeks to create a Spectrum Management Policy Framework to ensure fair competition, make the system adaptable to technological advances, and the efficient use of data transmission frequencies.
The Senate has yet to pass its Konektadong Pinoy bill, which is awaiting second reading.
It is one of the 23 priority measures Congress has yet to approve.
These priority bills include the Amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease Act; the proposed Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act; the proposed Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act; the proposed Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act; the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Act; the proposed Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act; and the proposed Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act.
Measures also on the LEDAC list include the proposed Blue Economy Act; Amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law, the proposed Universal Health Care Act, the proposed Electric Power Industry Reform Act; the proposed Right-of-Way Act; the proposed Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime; the proposed E-Government Act or E-Governance Act; the measure establishing the Department of Water Resources; the proposed Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Act; and the proposed Unified System of Separation, Retirement, and Pension of Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP).
Other priority bills include the Waste-to-Energy Bill; Amendments to the Agrarian Reform Law; Reforms to Philippine Capital Markets; Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics; the proposed New Government Auditing Code; and the proposed Philippine Immigration Act. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
