Despite the controversy generated by his offer to quit, it was generally assumed that DICT undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. would remain in his post after patching up his differences with DICT secretary Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II regarding the agency’s disbursement of its P300-million confidential funds.
A lawmaker said the ancient manual sign-up method would be burdensome on both the drivers and commuters, aside from exposing them to identity thieves, stalkers, and other privacy violators.
A Senate resolution noted the DICT has not been meeting its targets. In 2018, the agency targeted to add 5,308 sites in 1,500 cities. But as of April 13, 2020, there are only 3,707 live hotspots across the country's public spaces.
The Covid Action Network, made up of 67 organizations and 38 individuals and youth groups, has sent proposals to the government aimed at expanding Internet coverage and helping ease broadband network rollout.
The DICT said there is a compelling need for LGUs and HOAs to cooperate in addressing the need for connectivity and better quality of ICT services especially in the current Covid-19 pandemic.
One of the agencies with an outdated online infrastructure is SSS, making the state pension firm unable to respond to the requests from members wanting to get financial assistance from the government.
The DICT reported that it has already tested 158 dark fiber segments of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and completed construction of the cable landing stations at Baler Aurora and Poro Point, La Union.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it has reached out to various government institutions to offer one of its core services, the Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure (PNPKI).
Tech lawyer Roy Ibay observed, however, that the RapidPass System is only bringing “rapid confusion” to the public since drivers are still questioned by the authorities even if their vehicles already have RapidPass QR codes.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology has directed all management information system (MIS) server operators to utilize the updated version of cryptographic protocols for all government websites.
