Legarda flags P150M proposal for DICT’s Starlink subscription

Senator Loren Legarda on Wednesday flagged a P150 million proposal for the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) subscription to Starlink for free Internet access especially in remote areas.

The DICT, however, clarified that the proposal received by Legarda’s office was overpriced, unsigned and unauthorized.

During the Senate Committee on Finance’s hearing on the DICT’s proposed budget for 2026, Legarda said she received a proposal from the agency which supposedly claimed that P150 million was needed to buy new Starlink kits.

This was even though it was only the monthly Starlink subscription that expired in Antique.

“Nag-expire lang po yung monthly subscription recently and when it expired, ang tanong ko lang po simple, ‘Paano na yung mga health centers, mga eskwelahan na recipient ng Starlink technology?’ Ang sagot ng office niyo at regional office na may proposal na binigay sa staff ko… Nagtaka ako bakit ang mahal, mahal?” Legarda asked.

(The monthly subscription just expired recently, and when it expired, my question was simple, ‘What now for the health centers and schools that are recipients of the Starlink technology?’ The answer from your office and the regional office was a proposal given to my staff... I was surprised because it’s so expensive, why so expensive?) 

“Sabi kailangan daw bumili o mag-GAA provision ulit ako ng P150 million para sa site. Sabi ko bakit ganun? Dapat monthly subscription lang, unless I’m ignorant in engineering and every year you have to buy new digital infrastructure. I was only asking for a renewal of the monthly subscription,” she said. 

(They said there’s a need to buy or allocate a GAA provision again of P150 million for the site. I said, why is that? It should just be a monthly subscription, unless I’m ignorant in engineering and every year you have to buy new digital infrastructure. I was only asking for a renewal of the monthly subscription.) 

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda explained that the proposal sent to Legarda’s staff was unsigned and unauthorized.

“That’s exactly why they are unauthorized to give you those proposals po. Because that’s not along the department orders that I released. One, that is overpriced and I cannot express strong enough, masyadong mahal ‘yan,” said Aguda. 

(That’s exactly why they are unauthorized to give you those proposals. But that’s not along with the department orders I released. One, that is overpriced and I cannot express strong enough, that’s too expensive.)

Following Aguda’s clarification, Legarda said her office is requesting further explanation on the proposal and how it ended up at her desk.

“May I request, with the permission of the chair, for a more detailed explanation for my office on how it happened and an acknowledgement that this is a government document even if it is unsigned, because it’s from the project directors of the free WiFi program,” Legarda said.

“They are both project managers of the free public internet access program not of my province but of the central office,” she added.

Aguda assured that the DICT’s internal audit team is already investigating the matter.

“And we’ve already submitted findings, recommendations to COA. If Mr. Chair and your honor would like, we can give regular updates on the status of the ongoing investigations,” Aguda said. — JMA, GMA Integrated News