TACLOBAN CITY – About five interior villages of Catarman, the capital town of Northern Samar province, have now access to the internet through the free Wifi program through the Cybercrime Resilient Communities (CRC) project of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).
The Cybercrime Resilient Communities (CRC) is a project of CICC that focuses on providing internet signal and access to areas identified as geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) in the country.
The five interior villages that now have free Wifi access are Salvacion, Tranque, Mabini, Cag-abaca, and Quezon.
CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander Ramos led the turnover ceremony along with CICC Division chief Arbee Talastas, Catarman Mayor Francisco Aurelio Rosales III, and village officials.
Officials expressed their gratitude for the newfound connectivity, highlighting its significance in bridging communication gaps and facilitating learning opportunities, especially for students who previously lacked access to reliable internet.
In his message, Mayor Rosales was thankful to the CICC for visiting the interior villages and providing internet signals to some of the farthest communities in their town.
Rosales was also thankful to Rep. Paul Daza (1st district) for his effort in asking the help of CICC to provide internet signal to GIDA areas of Catarman.
“In fact, he is hoping that not only these five barangays would have internet access but all barangays of Catarman,” the town mayor said.
The CICC is an attached agency of the Department of Information, Communications and Technology that is in charge of the cybercrime investigation and coordination, including education and information dissemination on how to avoid becoming victims of various cybercrime.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
