MANILA, Philippines — “‘Not so bad’ may sound worse than ‘not so good’.”
Such was the reaction of Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday on the remark of Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) chief Gringo Honasan that the Philippines’ internet performance is “not doing too badly.”
“With all due respect to a highly regarded cavalier and distinguished former senate colleague ‘not so bad’ may sound worse than ‘not so good’,” he said.
“In the middle of a pandemic when the order of the day is virtual communication, what we want to hear, at least realistically, is ‘good enough’. Of course, it goes without saying ‘very good’ or even ‘excellent’ is what we all want to hear from DICT,” he added.
Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Honasan was being “conservative” in his assessment of the country’s internet speed.
“He was being conservative. He could not say it was good but also not say really bad,” Sotto said in a text message to reporters.
For his part, Senator Sonny Angara said there should be “decisive steps” to improve internet speed and services in the country.
“There should be decisive steps taken to improve the speed, reach, and affordability of these services. The national broadband program is a step in the right direction towards these goals,” he said.
During the House deliberations on the DICT’s budget, Honasan said the country’s internet speed is “not doing too badly” compared to other countries, with three to seven megabits per second (Mbps).
This is compared to the 55 Mbps internet speed in other countries.
“Without going into figures, we are not doing too badly,” he said during the House deliberations on the DICT’s budget for 2021.
“Of course compared sa ibang bansa, sila pumapalo ng mga 55 Mbps, tayo naglalaro pa rin between 3 and 7 Mbps pero hindi na po ito masama,” he added.