Gawad Kalinga village residents in Parañaque; Sta. Rosa, Laguna; and Imus, Cavite can now enjoy high-speed, reliable, and affordable internet access. This is thanks to the new partnership with Gawad Kalinga that Philippine telco Globe Telecom formally announced on Dec. 10.
“Digital and technology should be part of it, but at the heart of it should be values transformation,” said Gawad Kalinga Chairman Luis Oquiñena at the online press launch on Dec. 10, as he talked about how this partnership aims to uplift the lives of the residents.
Connectivity and change
For his part, Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said the telco chose to partner with Gawad Kalinga because its projects emphasized sustainability and values formation.
“We have seen other projects which were just one-shot events,” Cu said at the online press launch.
Cu added that Gawad Kalinga instills pride in community, which is why the residents are motivated to keep the project going and help each other.
“Our home has changed,” Cu emphasized.
He said affordable internet access is more important than ever, because our home is now also our virtual workplace, as well as the classroom of our children who are attending virtual classes.
“During this time, internet access serves as a vital means for communities, especially for the disadvantaged, to empower them to access health services, livelihood opportunities, financial services, online education, and work from home. We are happy to be partnering with Gawad Kalinga so we can make connectivity within reach for families that need it the most,” he said in a press statement.
KonekTayo WiFi
With the active support of the Parañaque; Sta. Rosa, Laguna; and Imus, Cavite local government units, the project allows Gawad Kalinga village residents in the respective areas to connect to the internet through KonekTayo WiFi — for as low as Php15 per day, without any need to spend for devices, monthly fees, or modems.
Globe’s KonekTayo WiFi and Gawad Kalinga’s partnership is set to bolster efforts to widen the availability of affordable internet in Gawad Kalinga villages with the deployment of KonekTayo WiFi across various locations in the country, including Quezon City; Laguna; Trece Martires, Cavite; Iloilo City; Bayawan City, Negros Oriental; and Cagayan de Oro City.
“We thank Globe and KonekTayo WiFi for this partnership that puts community support and nation-building through digital transformation and inclusion. And, of course, we are grateful for the leadership and support of Sta. Rosa, Laguna Mayor Arelene Arcillas; Imus, Cavite Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi; and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, paving the way for this shared vision to come to fruition. By capacitating our residents with an affordable means to connect, we’re able to empower them to meet their everyday needs, whether it is for distance learning, remote working, accessing digital services, or starting their small online businesses,” Oquiñena said in a press statement.
Formerly known as KapitWiFi, KonekTayo WiFi is a fast and secure community WiFi service that aims to provide households with affordable internet. With KonekTayo WiFi, customers simply need to connect to a KonekTayo WiFi hotspot, purchase a promo, and surf all day.
