COA hits failed P6.5-B ‘free Wi-Fi’ project of DICT

Filipinos have failed to reap the benefits of free Wi-Fi connectivity due to the failure of the four-year, P6.5-billion project of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Commission on Audit (COA) said.

In its 2017 audit report, the COA said the lack of project planning and coordination resulted in the delayed and failed implementation of Project Pipol Konek.

Records showed that as early as 2011, the government laid out a five-year program to provide free internet through its Internet for All project.

In 2016, the project underwent tweaks under the administration of President Duterte and was renamed Pipol Konek, the COA audit report said.

With an initial fund layout of P4.8 billion, Pipol Konek was started in January 2015.

The COA findings, however, revealed that as of December 2017, the project achieved a “very low-performance rate.”—MELVIN GASCON