MANILA, Philippines — The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved a budget of P16.1 billion for the Philippine Digital Infrastructure Project, through the initiative of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

This, however, is way below the P240 billion suggested by the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) to enhance internet infrastructure and P60 billion annual allocation for DICT to lease towers, build last-mile facilities, and optimize existing telco facilities to provide internet access in 125,000 public facilities, including schools, hospitals, and health centers, over four years.