I read an article in USA Today three weeks ago about a remote Indian village that offered wireless Internet access to its residents. The Akshaya center, as they are called, is a room with five computers hooked wirelessly to the Internet, which residents can use to surf the web, take computer literacy courses, and conduct e-commerce. After reading the story, I felt a tinge of envy for our own people here who deserve the same level of service from the government.
And as if to answer my desire, I got this phone call last week informing me of a multi-purpose community telecenter right here in the country, in a remote barangay in Agusan del Norte. I got so excited by the news I lost no time getting in touch with the people concerned.
The Maguinda Multi-purpose Community Telecenter (MCT) was an offshoot of an earlier project of the Department of Transportation and Communication in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology in 1999. The project established 13 public calling offices in Mindanao that were not covered by private telcos. Four of the 13 PCOs were chosen as pilot areas for the Municipal Telephone Public Office in 2000. These were:
• Maguinda, Butuan City, Agusan del Norte,
• Jaliabong, Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte,
• Brgy. Taguitic, Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte, and
• Brgy. Malingao, Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
These public-calling offices, which were provided with computers from DOST, then became MCTs and provided Internet access to residents through dial-up in the same year. However, the centers in Lanao del Norte and in Kitcharao are currently offline due to the unavailability of cables to replace the damaged ones. Maguinda is a far-flung barangay 24 kilometers from the Butuan City proper or a one-hour ride on rough road from the airport or the port.
The move to transform the calling offices into multipurpose community telecenters was initiated by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, the health arm of DOST. The International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada funded the project and provided the computers as a research initiative to test the use of ICTs for human development for the past two years. Molave Development Foundation, Inc. (MDFI) with its Executive Director Dr. Angelo Juan Ramos led the research project that explored the viability of using computers and the Internet for distance education specifically in the areas of health and sanitation. The Foundation pilot-tested a module it developed on water sanitation and hygiene in an urban community at Smokey Mountain and a rural one, which was at Maguinda, as part of an international campaign of the World Health Organization.
Rey Majait, Barangay Chairman of Maguinda proudly told me that the phone facilities in the MCT initially ran on solar energy but is now running on electricity and as a stakeholder in the project, he and his council together with the local government of Butuan have signed a resolution to sustain the Center as early as January of this year. The Center is managed by a core of eight volunteers, headed by Danny Majait who were trained by DOST on computer literacy, how to conduct research over the Internet and basic troubleshooting.
MDFI in coordination with the DOST-Caraga Region looked for Internet service providers for the MCT and opted for satellite access with Dream Satellite as partner and IDRC providing the infrastructure. Apart from Internet access, the MCT also gets cable TV signal, which has become a source of additional income for the barangay by charging a small amount for residents to watch cable TV programs. With uninterrupted Internet access barring bad weather and power outages, MDFI was able to deliver content on health and sanitation through the web.
Moreover, the Maguinda National High School headed by its principal, Ms. Regina A. Andaya, also benefits from the MCT because students flock to the center for their research needs. The school, a recipient of 20 computers from DTI’s PCs for Public Schools program will soon enjoy wireless Internet access when some of the schools PCs will be linked to the MCT.
But according to Mayet Jayloni, Senior Research Specialist at PCHRD, the MCTs not only provide Internet access and computer services but also serve as venue for meetings, trainings and conferences, and even house barangay libraries accredited and supported by the National Library.
Stakeholders in the project met last week of September to synthesize and evaluate the program and the results of which will be published soon. However, funding for Internet access will end in November so Chairman Majait is enjoining both the local government and the provincial government to sustain the project.
After my interview with them, the envy for India was replaced with pride because back in India, language is a barrier for those who gain access to the Internet, but in Maguinda language is not a problem. And as I was writing this story, I kind of lost track of the acronyms I used, (the most in any story I’ve written) making sure I had spelled them out the first time, which made me realize that with cooperation, a lot of things can be accomplished. Bayanihan is not dead after all. It just took on another dimension.
For detailed information and updates on the MCTs, visit their website at www.barangayconnect.ph.
(For feedback, comments, suggestions email me at openingpagemb@yahoo.com)
