Free Wi-Fi in Dagupan City deal with care and responsibility - Mayor Fernandez

DAGUPAN CITY – Mayor Belen T. Fernandez lauded the launching here on July 28 by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of the program free Wi-Fi internet access in public places but warned that this must be always tempered with care and responsibility.

“There is now great power in the hands of our children because unlimited information is now within their reach. It’s therefore imperative among us to properly guide, monitor and assist our children to utilize this power to make productive use of this resource,” said Fernandez in a ceremony held at the City Library. Fernandez believes that the free Wi-Fi is among the defining accomplishments of the city in terms of enhancing the education of the young people.

Accordingly, Dagupan is the third LGU in the country which received the services of free Wi-Fi access from DOST. Fernandez said there is no more stopping the public schools in the city from being at par now with the private education sector and this will greatly reform the way the children in public schools will be educated.

“This compliments our great reforms and our great vision for education in Dagupan. With proper use, these free public Wi-Fi should be utilized as a platform for our young people to prepare themselves to become potential employees for our envisioned ICT-BPM enterprise that will soon rise in our new growth centers," Fernandez said.

Dagupan is now in the process of inviting and setting the stage for the entry of ICT-BPM and knowledge processing industries after Fernandez opened the gates of the city last week for new businesses.

“This is now possible following the approval of our new comprehensive land use plan which now makes it possible for us to allow the entry and establishment of IT parks that would be the hub of new global investments in our city,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez believes that Dagupan will soon be the leading cities for innovation and investment in ICT, and this free public Wi-Fi "shall bridge everyone into this kind of future". (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/July 28, 2016)