POSTAL code 7501 is the municipality of Panglima Sugala in Tawi-Tawi which just before 2010 almost completely isolated from the rest of Mindanao except for a few satellite connections and medium-wave radio communications. The internet was introduced in 2016 by the Sahali family in cooperation with Globe and Smart and even then these were extremely limited. Signal depended on cell sites found in the bigger islands of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR), while data connections were sluggish.
Panglima Sugala used to be part of the over 10,750 geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) in the country with little or no internet connection. With Filipinos now so dependent on connectivity and digitalization, access has become a socio-economic human right. The same situation exists for nearly 3 billion people or 37 percent of the world’s population — have never used the internet, according to the United Nations.
Dr. Merten Reglitz, lecturer in Global Ethics at the University of Birmingham (UB), press statement called for a standalone human right to internet access, which he said is based on it being a practical necessity for a range of socio-economic human rights. His findings are also published in the scholarly journal ‘Politics, Philosophy & Economics.’
“The internet has unique and fundamental value for the realization of many of our socio-economic human rights – allowing users to submit job applications, send medical information to healthcare professionals, manage their finances and business, make social security claims, and submit educational assessments,” Dr. Reglitz said immediately after releasing his findings.
Developing countries suffer the most from this “disconnection” because even within urban societies despite the concentration of cellular sites and access to devices, the cost of connections may be prohibitive, or unequal due to the time or quality of access. This is particularly true if internet access can make the difference between people receiving an education, staying healthy, finding a home, and securing employment, or not.
Filipinos spend the most time on the internet, especially on social media according to a recent “We Are Social” report. Retail sites like Lazada and Shopee are also favorites and likewise learning sites like Coursera and Udemy provide alternative education.
There are still nearly 30 million Filipinos who aren’t connected to the internet, though the internet penetration in the country stands are 68 percent or about 76 million netizens. During the pandemic about 42 percent of students weren’t able to attend online classes due to lack or devices or connectivity. Globally, dependence on the internet to exercise socio-economic human rights such as education, healthcare, work, and housing that online access must now be considered a basic human right, Dr. Reglitz’s study reveals.
The study proposes that even if people have offline opportunities, such as accessing social security schemes or finding housing, they are at a comparative disadvantage to those with Internet access.
Dr. Reglitz calls for public authorities to provide internet access free of charge for those unable to afford it, as well as providing training in basic digital skills training for all citizens and protecting online access from arbitrary interference by states and private companies.
“The internet’s structure enables a mutual exchange of information that has the potential to contribute to the progress of humankind as a whole – potential that should be protected and deployed by declaring access to the Internet a human right,” he told attendees.
Dr. Reglitz’s research also highlights similar problems for people without internet access in developing countries — for example, 20 per cent of children aged 6 to 11 are out of school in sub-Saharan Africa. Many children face long walks to their schools, where class sizes are routinely very large in crumbling, unsanitary schools with insufficient numbers of teachers.
However, online education tools can make a significant difference – allowing children living remotely from schools to complete their education. More students can be taught more effectively if teaching materials are available digitally and pupils do not have to share books.
But it is not only in developing countries were issues are apparent. Dr. Reglitz said that in the US and Canada, there are issues in providing in-person healthcare to remote communities. He recommended using online healthcare to help plug this gap.
For healthcare, online can also make the difference between receiving an adequate level of healthcare or receiving none, the report says. Digital health tools can help diagnose illnesses. In Kenya, a smartphone-based Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) has been used to test people’s eyesight and identify people who need treatment, especially in remote areas underserved by medical practitioners.
People are often confronted with a lack of brick-and-mortar banks in developing countries and internet access makes possible financial inclusion. Small businesses can also raise money through online crowdfunding platforms – the World Bank expects such sums raised in Africa to rise from $32 million in 2015 to $2.5 billion in 2025. In the Philippines, the growth in the use of financial apps and digital banks during the coronavirus crisis helped reduce the impact of the pandemic to many Filipinos.
