DICT wants P46.6B for 2021, over 7x its 2020 budget

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is seeking a P46.6-billion budget for 2021, nearly eight times its 2020 budget, to finance mainly digital transformation efforts.

The department's approved budget for 2020 is P6 billion, with which it is mandated to plan, develop, and promote the national information and communications technology agenda.

In a statement on Thursday, the DICT said the lion's share or P22.1 billion of its proposed 2021 budget will cover digital connectivity and access programs.

This includes the National Broadband Program (NBP), the Free WiFi for All in Public Places and State Universities and Colleges Program, and the Government Emergency Communications System.

"Digital connectivity and access is the foundation of digital transformation," said DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II.

"It is only with a secure and reliable Internet connectivity for every Filipino can we implement programs and initiatives towards digitalization in various sectors of our society,” he added.

In the proposed budget, the DICT earmarked P11.7 billion for its Digital Government initiatives, P10.2 billion for the Digital Workforce and Digital Education, P1.05 billion for cybersecurity, P55 million for the Digital Cities and Provinces, and P1.3 billion for "internal DICT programs."

"We hope that both houses of Congress will approve our proposed budget for 2021. Now more than ever, the call for digital transformation has never been more urgent," said Honasan.

"We need all the resources to fast-track the country’s digital transformation for us to better adapt to the new normal brought by the COVID-19 pandemic," he added.

To recall, former DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr.filed his resignation in February after butting heads with Honasan over the P300 million in confidential funds for the department tasked mainly to develop the national ICT development agenda.

Duterte initially rejected the resignation in March, and Rio and Honasan were said to have reconciled their differences.

However, in May, Duterte's spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. announced that the resignation was accepted.

Rio said he was "eased out" of his position after raising concerns such as privacy and compatibility issues regarding the official contact tracing app, StaySafe.ph.

For its part, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it is already preparing the P4.3-trillion national budget for next year. This is 5% higher than 2020's P4.1 trillion.

Roque earlier said the 2021 budget will be mainly to support government efforts against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. — BM, GMA News