Speech by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Philippine Telecommunications Summit 2026

Thank you, our DICT secretary, Secretary Henry Aguda.

[Please take your seats.]

The honorable members of the House of Representatives; our partners from the private sector; my fellow workers in government; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

At this year’s Telecommunications Summit, we are reaffirming a commitment of this Administration: that every Filipino—wherever they might be—gains the opportunity to connect, to learn, to work, and to move forward.

Last year, the Philippine telecommunications sector was valued at more than six billion U.S. dollars.

More importantly than that figure is what it represents: years of investment, progressive reform, and a clear belief that digital access can uplift lives.

We have seen this progress take shape. The rollout of 5G networks, the deployment of fiber-optic cables, the growth of mobile broadband, and the rise of digital services have transformed how Filipinos communicate, how they study, do business, and engage with government.

By the third quarter of 2025, telecommunications providers had – will have deployed over 1.8 million cable kilometers across the whole country, connecting tens of millions of homes. These are pathways to classrooms, to markets, to opportunities that were once out of reach.

Broadband and mobile internet speeds have improved in recent years. These gains mean faster access to education, to health services, government programs, and to livelihoods.

Ngunit, hindi lamang [sa] bilis ng internet connectivity nasusukat ang kaunlaran.

Nasusukat ito sa bawat Pilipinong nagkaroon ng pagkakataong guminhawa, umasenso, at umangat ang kanilang buhay.

Nakikita rin ito sa mga estudyanteng nakatira sa mga liblib na lugar ngunit kaya nang pumasok at mag-aral sa online class.

Sa ating mga kababayan na nakapag-register ng online upang makakuha ng mga serbisyong pangkalusugan o pinansyal.

At sa mga pamilyang mas napapalapit sa mga impormasyon at oportunidad.

After all, in today’s age, connectivity is a right, a necessity, and a lifeline.

Still, challenges continue to remain.

While our cities enjoy high-speed and reliable service, many rural and remote areas—coastal communities, mountainous regions, and smaller islands—continue to face unstable signals and limited broadband access.

Delays in permits, right-of-way restrictions, fiber cuts, and power interruptions further widen these gaps.

These affect real lives. They limit access to education, they constrain economic opportunity, and slow national progress.

Ito ang dahilan kung bakit mahalaga ang ating pagtutulungan.

Kailangan magkaisa ang pamahalaan, ang pribadong sektor, at mga lokal na pamayanan—sapagkat walang iisang sektor lamang ang kayang harapin ang mga hamong ito.

Kumilos tayo na may isang hangarin: ang maghatid ng pag-asa, ng ginhawa, at pagkakataon sa bawat Pilipino.

Kasama ang Department of Information and Communications Technology, isinusulong natin ang mas mabilis na reporma upang maging mas mabilis at abot-kaya ang ating mga binibigay na internet services.

Kasabay nito, patuloy nating pinapalawak ang saklaw ng konektibidad sa buong bansa.

Through the enactment of the Konektadong Pinoy Act, we removed long-standing barriers that slowed progress and that limited competition.

By dispensing with the requirement for a congressional franchise to construct, install, or operate data transmission networks, we opened the field to wider participation.

The law mandates infrastructure sharing and colocation among providers—ending wasteful duplication, lowering deployment costs, and ensuring that every single peso that is spent delivers real value to our public.

Along these reforms, we built the backbone of a truly connected government. We completed already Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the National [Fiber] Backbone Project.

Phase 1 alone provided internet connectivity to 360 government agencies, benefitting over ten million transacting members of the public.

Phases 2 and 3 expanded this reach even further, delivering internet access to around 690 government agencies and benefitting 17 million – over 17 – nearly 17 million transacting public.

We also complemented this with direct access for our people.

Under the Free Public Internet Access Program, we now maintain over 9,500 active free Wi-Fi access points in 5,057 public places—bringing opportunity closer to where Filipinos live and learn.

And because connectivity must promote inclusion, we launched the Bayanihan SIM Card Project.

Through this initiative, we distributed over 89, 400 subsidized SIM cards, each with monthly data allocations, to public school students, to teachers, and to indigent communities.

We certainly thank our partners in the private sector for their continuing commitment to invest more in our country’s telecommunications sector.

We look forward to greater connectivity and coverage, so that faster and more reliable communications – and will reach more lives and more will be touched by this technology.

Umaasa rin akong makikiisa sa atin ang mga lokal na pamahalaan upang matiyak na ang bawat Pilipino ay nakikinabang sa lahat ng ating ginagawang mga hakbang.

Together, let us continue building a Bagong Pilipinas where fast, reliable, and inclusive connectivity serves as a firm foundation for growth, for opportunity, and most importantly, for national unity.

Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat.

Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas!

[applause]

— END —