The Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) is urging Malacañang to help accelerate the P5-billion JuanSIM ng Bayan program in pursuit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s renewed commitment to the country’s modernization and digitalization efforts to keep up with the world’s rapidly changing technology trends.
In a statement on Tuesday, PSAC said President Marcos, during his meeting with the group’s digital infrastructure sector in Malacañang on February 14, reaffirmed and stressed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the country’s modernization and digitalization program.
PSAC said members of the group’s digital infrastructure sector emphasized the need for strategic investments in connectivity to bridge the digital divide and ensure that every Filipino has access to reliable communication services.
“Central to this effort is the JuanSIM ng Bayan program, a strategic initiative designed to provide subsidized SIM cards and internet access to millions of Filipinos, particularly those in remote areas,” the statement said.
Under the JuanSIM ng Bayan program, subsidized SIM cards and internet access would be distributed by yearend to 510 remote sites such as schools and government offices in isolated and underserved areas.
A copy of the presentation by PSAC shared with Malaya Business Insight on Tuesday said the JuanSIM Ng Bayan program, costing P5 billion, will cover infrastructure development to the actual distribution of SIM cards.
The presentation showed the program will benefit about 7 million Filipinos in areas identified by the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the mobile network operators as priority areas. The target is to have five beneficiaries per household.
The presentation said that of the 510 sites under the program, 255 are existing and 255 are new site builds (NSBs), with an estimated cost of P10 million per site.
A PSAC document said a site is any form of physical structure or solution that will transmit and receive radio frequency signals to and from a cellular service.
Each site will be able to serve 27,000 SIMs with a capacity of 25 gigabytes each, at a cost of P300 per SIM, the document said.
PSAC documents showed the NSB will be built with tower companies where needed.
The advisory council recommends the sites have to be built within five months for government-owned properties and eight months on private properties.
The council noted the importance of ensuring that every Filipino has access to reliable communication services.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is overseeing the SIM distribution and sending of technical personnel to beneficiary schools for proper implementation, while the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)’s existing rural telecommunications system will support the JuanSIM initiative by improving existing internet connections to enhance connectivity in remote areas.
During the meeting, PSAC said the president renewed his directive for concerned government agencies to formulate a consolidated national approach to artificial intelligence (AI) development in the country, including investments in needed infrastructure and the upskilling of the Filipino workforce to better prepare them for advancing technologies of the future.
In the statement, PSAC also said it welcomes the administration’s directive for a consolidated national approach to AI development and workforce upskilling, and expressed full alignment with the DICT, the Department of Science and Technology, and NEDA on key AI-related priorities such as investing in AI infrastructure, fostering innovation, and ensuring that Filipino workers are equipped with the necessary skills to thrive in an AI-powered economy.
Last year, in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, Marcos said the government was “building essential infrastructure and linkages to support the ethical development of artificial intelligence systems for high-impact practical applications.”
In his SONA, he promised to put up more free wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) sites in the country, especially in remote areas to give them wider internet access.
The DICT targets to put up 125,000 free Wi-Fi sites by 2028. As of 2024, there were 13,462 free Wi-Fi sites in 1,401 cities and municipalities, accessible to 9.8 million Filipinos, it said.
