SUSTAINABLE PROJECT. Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo del Rosario signs the memorandum of agreement for the BALAI-Net project on Tuesday (Feb. 16, 2021). The project targets to provide WiFi access to the families residing in the government's socialized housing and human settlement projects. (Contributed photo)
MANILA – The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has partnered with private company, Alpha-3 Technologies Inc., to provide internet services in the government’s socialized housing and human settlement projects.
Officials of the DHSUD headed by Secretary Eduardo del Rosario and Alpha-3 on Tuesday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the installation of Wi-Fi connectivity as part of the housing department's efforts to push for a sustainable and resilient housing project for all Filipinos, particularly the marginalized sector.
Del Rosario said this initiative will further boost the Duterte administration’s flagship campaign on Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable, and Inclusive (BALAI) Filipino housing program.
Dubbed as BALAI-Net, Del Rosario said the project aims to provide 100 Mbps (megabits per second) internet connection with a "guaranteed 99.99 percent uptime and a redundant network" per household subscriber.
"This pact is part of the government efforts in providing Filipino families with modern housing communities nationwide equipped with necessary infrastructure facilities including information technology," he said. "This undertaking is another proof that great things can be achieved through effective partnership between the government and private sector."
Del Rosario said there will be no letup to the housing department's efforts to institutionalize effective and strategic delivery of services in the housing industry.
He vowed anew to provide decent, livable, and affordable housing units for Filipinos.
Kristin Bangot, Alpha-3 Technologies chief executive officer, said they will be assisting the government in the installation of the WiFi internet services in the selected human settlement projects.
"The moment they (household subscribers) will use the internet connectivity, that's the time they start paying," Bangot said, noting that the company will shoulder all the installation expenses for the project.
Under the agreement, the National Housing Authority (NHA)and Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) are tasked to yearly recommend 50 to 100 resettlement sites with 1,000 or more households each.
DHSUD has been pushing for resilient and sustainable communities for the marginalized sector and informal settlers residing in the danger zone or properties owned by either the government or private entities. (PNA)
