Manila, Oct. 15 -- The national government has released PHP3 billion to fast-track full digital connectivity in public schools, particularly in remote and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman announced Wednesday.

Of the amount, PHP1.5 billion will go to the Department of Education's (DepEd) Connectivity Enhancement Program for E-Learning, which targets more than 8,200 "last-mile" schools nationwide.

Another PHP1.5 billion has been issued to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to support the Free Public Internet Access Program.

"Before, weak or non-existent Internet signals were a challenge for schools in remote areas. Today, we are making nationwide ...