Latest news with #HenryAguda
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
DICT wants internet service costs down by as much as 50%
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is looking to bring down internet service provider (ISP) costs by as much as 50%, with the expected increase in competition and facility sharing. According to DICT Secretary Henry Aguda, the agency is looking to make internet in the country more affordable, as it targets to bring down ISP costs by 30% to 50%. 'Over time po 'yan (This will be over time). As technology becomes more advanced, the price per megabyte drops. As competition increases and as telcos become more efficient, the price will really drop,' he said during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) Infrastructure Forum in Makati City. Aguda said competition is expected to increase with the Konektadong Pinoy Bill, which has been ratified by both chambers of Congress and is now awaiting the President's signature. 'That's one, kasi darating na 'yung mga (because of the arrival of the) third-party providers that go straight to internet services, but we will harmonize it with the current telcos ngayon,' he said. Under the measure, new data transmission players are no longer required to secure a legislative franchise or Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), a move that removes key filters historically used to evaluate legal, financial, technical, and cybersecurity readiness. Sought for the timeline for the cost reduction, Aguda said that this should come before the end of the administration's term in 2028. 'Before pa dapat yan. Mahirap kasing i-pin it down. You need to mix the price together with the free services that they provide. Confident ako 'yung mga telco magco-compete na eh, so malamang bababa 'yan,' he said. (It should be before (2028). It is quite difficult to pin down. You need to mix the price together with the free services that they provide. I am confident that the telcos will compete, so this will come down.) Moving forward, Aguda said the DICT also targets to increase the government's free wifi access points to 50,000 in 2028 from 15,717 in 2024. 'We are not building just fiber or satellites. We're building a more just, informed, and inclusive republic,' he said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
07-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DICT targets to create 8M digital jobs by 2028
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) aims to generate 8 million digital jobs in the next three years. On Saturday, the DICT said it had launched the ''Trabahong Digital'' program, which seeks to expand internet connectivity across the country and equip Filipinos with digital skills. 'Driving the digital-first economy will maximize job opportunities and business growth through digital skills empowerment and by providing our people with the tools they need to succeed,' DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said. The DICT expressed confidence in achieving its job creation target by 2028, with the help of active partnerships with the government, academic institutions, and the private sector. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
05-06-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
DICT: Meta agreed to demote Facebook posts which gov't tagged as fake news
"Pumapayag na sila ngayon na kapag CICC o PCO o any duly authorized agency ng gobyerno, kapag nagpadala kami sa kanila na ito po, fake news 'to, they will demote in their feeds," Aguda said. Meta, the company that operates Facebook, has agreed to demote in the social media platform's newsfeeds posts that the Philippine government would flag as fake news, Information and Communication Technology Secretary Henry Aguda told a joint House committee inquiry on Thursday. Addressing a hearing of the House Tri Committee on the proliferation of disinformation online, Aguda said Kumu, Google, and TikTok had agreed in a meeting on Wednesday to comply with whatever the government would say to protect the truth. Aguda said Meta wrote the Department of Information and Communication Technology on Thuesday to inform the agency that it would implement a demotion mechanism on posts that the government would flag as disinformation. "Pumapayag na sila ngayon na kapag CICC o PCO o any duly authorized agency ng gobyerno, kapag nagpadala kami sa kanila na ito po, fake news 'to, they will demote in their feeds," Aguda said. "Meaning, hindi naman totally mawawala pero mababawasan. Malaking bagay po 'yun. And we acknowledge na sumagot is Meta," he added. (Meta has agreed that if the Cybercrime Information and Coordinating Center, the Presidential Communications Office, or any duly authorized agency of the government flags a post as fake news, it will be demoted in the newsfeeds. They won't be removed, but they will be decreased. That is a substantial development. And we acknowledge that Meta responded.) Still, Aguda said the DICT would wish for legislation on disinformation for a proactive approach against fake news. At the hearing, the Presidential Communications Office chief Secretary Jay Ruiz and Aguda proposed that social firms which allow false information to be distributed on their platforms should be penalized. 'When you allow fake news in your platform, dapat may karampatang parusa sa [iyo mula] sa gobyerno. Kasi nga ilaw ang nagpapasok niyan e. Your platform is being used to be a purveyor of ignorance. You allow it,' said Ruiz, a former television reporter. 'As a social media platform, dapat lahat 'yan…dapat nalilinis mo 'yan. With the advent of new technology, deep fakes, artificial internet intelligence, and fake news spread like wildfire. It will reach hundreds of millions in just hours,' he added. Aguda likened the situation to a mall owner who won't allow fraudulent merchants and shops inside its premises. 'A mall won't allow stores which sell fake products inside its premises. So sa akin po, ang responsibility dyan, 'yung platform,' Aguda said. He also said that there was no reason for social media platforms to be spared from regulation because, under existing laws, broadcast contents, including those in journalism platforms, as well as movies and television shows, are regulated by both state-run and private entities. 'The KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Broadcaster sa Pilipinas) regulate themselves, while MTRCB (Movie and Television Review Classificatio Board (MTRCB) regulated televisin and radio broacast. Social media, on the other hand, has a reach 20 times larger than a normal broadcast,' Aguda said. 'Dapat sila [ang ipenalize] kasi kumikita po sila ng pera pa sa platform na yan. Sila ang mga pinakamayayamang kumpanya sa mundo eh,' he added. –NB, GMA Integrated News
