ORMOC CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. (PBBM) led the grand launch of Phases 2 and 3 of the National Fiber Backbone (NFB) project in Palo, Leyte, highlighting the government’s efforts to provide all Filipinos with fast, dependable, and easily accessible internet.
The president was joined by Leyte First District Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda and other officials during the launching ceremonies held at The Tropics in McArthur Park Hotel in Palo, Leyte on July 7, 2025.
President Marcos emphasized the value of digital connectivity and formally introduced the NFB initiative, which has as its goal strengthening and expanding the nation’s internet infrastructure for a wider national reach. While acknowledging that internet access varies widely throughout the nation, Marcos emphasized that the government’s NFB expansion is intended to bridge the digital divide, particularly in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs), where people frequently travel great distances merely to access the internet.
“Mga kababayan, ang pinapasinayaan natin ngayong Phase 2 at Phase 3 ng National Fiber Backbone ay tulay ng impormasyon at ng serbisyo mula sa hindi lamang sa pamahalaan, kundi sa ating mga gusali, sa ating mga kababayan,” the president said. “Sa panahon ngayon, hindi na privilege ang pagkakaroon ng access sa mabilis na internet, ito ay pangangailangan na,” he added.
“Kailangan ito sa pag-aaral, sa trabaho, sa negosyo, at para mapanatili ang koneksyon sa mga mahal sa buhay,” stated the president.
In what he dubbed “digital bayanihan,” Marcos hopes for price reductions among internet service providers and telecommunications firms with the expansion of government-owned infrastructure.
Accordingly, phases 2 and 3 will expand coverage to at least 20 provinces, around 1,000 government entities, and an estimated 1.39 million customers by adding 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) of capacity through 31 new nodes run by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). These sections will cross the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas, connect the Cagayan Valley and CALABARZON, and establish the foundation for upcoming Mindanao links.
The NFB project, which is headed by DICT, comes after Phase 1, a 1,245-kilometer network that runs from Laoag City to Quezon City, was successfully launched in 2024.
Through the Middle Mile Network, last-mile initiatives, and succeeding NFB phases, the DICT hopes to completely interconnect the archipelago by 2028.
In addition to the NFB’s Phases 2 and 3, President Marcos also inaugurated free public Wi-Fi at Palo, Leyte’s MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park. Accordingly, Remedios Petilla, mayor of Palo, anticipates that the initiative will draw more tech businesses to the area. (By Gwen Maurillo / EV Mail JULY 7-13, 2025 issue)
