GovNet links 118 gov’t offices in Metro Manila

THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) has launched GovNet, which links government offices through a fiber optic network that allows faster internet speed and better connectivity.

So far, 118 government agencies in Metro Manila and 12 in Cebu are linked to GovNet, which is part of the Integrated Government Philippines  project, said Dennis Villorente, ICTO deputy executive director, at the launch during the National ICT Summit in Quezon City on Tuesday.

The agency hopes to expand to seven more regions in the Philippines “within the year,” Villorente said. These include Iloilo City, Legazpi City in Albay province, City of San Fernando in Pampanga province, Palo in Leyte province, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan province, Butuan City and Baguio City—where 317 government offices will be interconnected.

The fiber optic network is expected to serve 160 government agencies, which will also be able to provide free Wi-Fi to the public as part of the Free Public Wi-Fi project of the DOST-ICTO.

The project makes use of the technology that uses glass or silicon fiber to transmit and receive messages in the form of light instead of electricity, according to the ICTO, which will be abolished and transferred to the newly created Department of Information and Communications Technology.