A P1-billion Innovation Fund will be established to strengthen entrepreneurship and enterprises engaged in developing innovative solutions benefitting the poorest of the poor.
This developed after newly appointed DICT secretary Gringo Honasan chose to pick IT executive Emmanuel “Manny” Caintic to replace Cabanlong in his role as the top official in charge of cybersecurity concerns.
Appointed as undersecretaries were lawyers Jose Arturo de Castro and Eleazar Almalbis Jr., while named assistant secretaries were Emmanuel Caintic and Vicente Cejoco.
A recent study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) revealed that certain policies and regulators have limited the ICT sector from gaining its full potential.
The program has been plagued by delays even if the government has appropriated almost P8 billion since the project's inception in 2015. As of June 2019, only 2,677 sites have been made operational, out of the cumulative target of 34,236 sites by end of the year.
Long-time observers of the local ICT industry said they are hoping Honasan would bring in more experienced and competent underlings who can help him tackle the issues that the ICT sector is currently facing.
In January, the DICT said it wanted to reduce to seven days the process of issuance of permits for telcos in compliance with Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Act. Currently, it takes eight months to secure at least 25 necessary permits and documents on building towers.
Democracy.Net.PH co-founder Pierre Tito Galla said the rollout of the cell towers and supporting infrastructure will help improve the delivery of Internet and mobile services in the provinces.
