THE Philippines and its online community have made great strides in the Internet arena. We are the social-media capital of the world and have the fifth fastest-growing e-commerce usage globally. A Time magazine article has put Makati on the top spot as the “selfie capital” of the world.
Last week the Philippines again gained prominence in the online world. We hosted the annual RightsCon Southeast Asia 2015 Conference. Held annually in various locations around the globe, this was the first to be held in Southeast Asia.
Over 500 global delegates, consisting of bloggers, journalists, alternative media practitioners, information-technology (IT) professionals and members of non-government organizations gathered to discuss topics and issues relating to the Internet. Their greatest concerns include advocating stronger rights to freedom of expression online, fighting online censorship and more transparency in governments.
Also in attendance were several local lawyers and professors from our universities and local advocacy groups. Represented were Democracy.ph, Blogwatch, the Foundation for Media Alternatives and EngageMedia. The conference was largely successful as it created bonds between the Internet political advocates and members of the Philippine online community. The highlight may have been the ratification of the “Manila Principles.”
The Manila Principles is a manifesto, led by the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, with the goal of protecting freedom of speech online and protecting intermediaries such as search engines and service providers from unlawful government-sponsored censorship.
Though the conference was a success, the current state of and future outlook for Philippine Internet sadly remains unchanged. In a twist of irony, foreign and local conference delegates complained that the Internet connection was slow and unreliable. It may seem as mere whining from people inconvenienced from the slow speeds caused by too many people connected to the wireless network. Unfortunately, this is a reality Filipino Internet users even on high-speed plans have to contend with on a daily basis.
Despite having a large market for social-media sites and e-commerce, the Philippines still lags behind in the area of connectivity and Internet penetration. Our Internet speed ranks 155th globally, while only 38 percent of the total population have Internet access. This means that over 60 percent of the population does not have access to the Internet, making the online users a minority in the Philippines.
The lack of greater access to the Internet creates a digital divide among those who can afford Internet access and the gadgets used to access the web and those that cannot, which defeats the purpose of making the Internet democratic.
These efforts at pushing for greater rights and government transparency online are laudable and praiseworthy. But what is the whole point of the exercise if only the “privileged few” can enjoy these rights. Perhaps the best focus in closing the digital divide would be ensuring that the average Filipino has access to affordable and reliable Internet access.
Image credits: Benjo Laygo