City officials urged all internet service providers in the city to submit to the local legislative body their comprehensive reports on their accomplished projects, innovations, recent projects or mitigating measures to counter the prevailing internet problems, including their future plans relative to internet service improvement.
Under Resolution No. 470, series of 2021, local legislators stated that as much as uninterrupted and reliable internet service is necessary for the workers and students to properly accomplish on time their required tasks and subject requirements, thus, the need for the internet service providers to ensure that the services that they provide their customers are commensurate to their charges.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte, upon the recommendation of Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones, approved the timely opening of classes for schoolyear 2021-2022 to ensure the continuity of the implementation of quality education of students even through blended learning while there will be pilot testing of limited face to face classes in schools that had been assessed to qualify under the stringent guidelines for the said purpose.
The council pointed out that with the continued implementation of various levels of community quarantine guidelines in the city because of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease (COVID) 2019, government and private offices allowed the implementation of alternative work arrangement for their employees in order not to deter the delivery of services by both the government and private sectors.
The companies that were required to submit their accomplished projects, innovations and future plans to improve the internet services in the city include Converge ICT Solutions, PLDT Company, Globe Telecom, Inc. and Sky Cable Corporation, among others.
City officials had been receiving numerous complaints from the residents on the alleged poor internet service being provided by the different internet service providers in the city that affect the effective and efficient delivery of public service by the government and other related services by the private sector.
The council emphasized the need for the internet service providers to improve their respective internet services to ensure that students will be able to cope up with their studies under the blended learning mode, and for workers to be able to effectively and efficiently perform their assigned duties and responsibilities through alternative work arrangements with their employers.
Various telecommunications companies earlier promised to improve their internet services with the upgrading and rehabilitation of their existing facilities in the city but the subscribers are still complaining of weak to poor internet signals in their homes that compromise the conduct of blended learning and the performance by the workers under alternative work arrangements.
The council told the internet service providers to ensure that their respective comprehensive development plans will be at par with the city’s goal of digitalization to improve the delivery of services to the people.
By Dexter A. See
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis
