Danao City boosts efforts for digital innovations

The local government of Danao partnered with DICT (represented by its Region 7 director) and a mobile wallet and digital payment platform to strengthen its digital transformation. | Danao City PIO

CEBU CITY, Philippines- To achieve their goal of becoming a technology powerhouse in Central Visayas, the local government of Danao City has strengthened their efforts in digital transformation.

On Thursday, the LGU held its “Digital Town Hall” which gathered stakeholders from government and private sectors to tackle the city’s initiatives for smart technology, according to its press release.

The event was held at the city’s Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall where Jaive Roble, the officer-in-charge of the City Information and Communications Technology Office (CICTO), presented the LGU’s landmark initiatives and achievements including the Free WiFi which now boats 52 access points, nine multi-access towers, and connectivity across 36 out of the city’s 42 barangays.

Roble said that the LGU is pushing to cover all of the barangays for the connectivity to ensure that no community will be left behind.

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Aside from that, they also showcased their projects Project Rain and Face-to-Face (F2F) Thru IPBX Video Calling.

Roble told CDN Digital that Project Rain is shooting WiFi connectivity signal to the highest peak in Danao City to achieve a clear line of sight.

“From there, we are able to distribute to barangays. To amplify this, we have spent years of effort and resources to erect towers in order to achieve maximum delivery. What’s left are those barangays that only give us an option to either clear paths by cutting off mountains (which we don’t want to do, of course), or provide low orbit satellite internet to those barangays with no clear line of sight,” he said.

Meanwhile, the F2F IPBX (internet protocol private branch exchange) Calling is a phone system that they use to call “barangay to barangay, office to barangay, or office to office, like having our very own FaceTime platform within our city,” Roble said.

“We plan to provide IPBX booths in the future so people will also be able to call as we expand to residents. Even without internet broadband, we can connect as long as the IP of the gadgets are live,” he added.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT-7) Director Frederick Amores, who was also present during the event, commended the city’s efforts to digital transformation.

“I am very happy to see that Danao has actually established WiFi sites…Many years ago, investments in technology were not a priority for many LGUs. So, it is always visionary for the leadership of this LGU to come up with initiatives like these,” Amores said.

Moreover, the Danao City also partnered with a popular mobile wallet and digital payment platform in the Philippines to create a faster, safer, and more efficient digital ecosystem for the city.

“We were really amazed knowing that an LGU is this passionate about digitalization…Not all LGUs are open to it,” Cleo Celeste Santos, public sector cluster head of GCash.

She added that their company, with the support of DICT, would provide necessary contributions to help Danao City in its goal.

READ: Mandaue:  Free WiFi can-Fi in public, private areas

As they envision to become the technology powerhouse in Region 7, the LGU said that they will continue to develop for its community’s future through smart infrastructure, AI-powered solutions, and a welcoming ecosystem for innovation and investment.

According to DICT in its website, the agency, through its central and regional office procurements,  has activated a total of 17,966 Free Wi-Fi for all sites across the country as of March 31, 2025, through the Free Public Internet Access Program (FPIAP).

Despite the geographical barriers of the Philippines, the agency said that through the program, they continue to reach priority areas and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs), delivering internet connectivity to support education, communication, emergency preparedness, and community development.