The Philippines climbed 18 places to rank 48th among 110 countries in the third annual edition of the Digital Quality of Life Index conducted by cybersecurity company Surfshark.
Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said the goal of digital transformation is finally being realized. “Your DICT is working tirelessly to achieve the future that we envision for all Filipinos,” he said.
Evaluated on five fundamental digital wellbeing pillars, the Philippines ranked impressively in internet quality (20th) and e-security (30th). The country demonstrated the fastest mobile and broadband speed growth annually.
It surpassed DQL leaders New Zealand, Australia and South Korea in e-security, showing a 20-percent advantage over the global average.
The research also showed that the country has room for improvement in internet affordability (72nd), e-infrastructure (63rd) and e-government (67th).
Overall, the Philippines showed one of the most notable improvements in the past year, ranking up from 66th place to 48th. Moreover, the country’s internet affordability was found to have improved by 156 percent.
Acting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s mandate to advance the improvements in internet services to keep up with other Southeast Asia countries, the Philippine government strictly monitored connection-related services in the country.
“Your DICT is striving to provide connectivity and quality of service to the Filipino people. The results present great development but we will not stop there. We are working with the telco industry and other government agencies to ensure that even the average Filipino will have access to the best service possible,” Honasan said.
