Many Bislig students and teachers pay for their own mobile data to do schoolwork, or go without. The Bislig City Council wants the national government to help, and it is asking the Department of Education to put the city's schools on the list for a free-data program.

What the council asked for

Resolution No. 2026-702, authored by Councilor Bernadeth May R. Almanon-Balondo and adopted on August 18, 2026, asks Education Secretary Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara to endorse the Schools Division of Bislig City to the Department of Information and Communications Technology's (DICT) "JuanSIM ng Bayan Program," also called the Bayanihan SIM Project, "for the benefit of qualified students and teaching personnel."

The resolution says the Bislig City Schools Division serves "a significant number of students and teaching personnel, many of whom reside in areas with limited or costly internet connectivity." It adds that an endorsement from the Education Secretary is "a key requisite for inclusion" in the program.

What the Bayanihan SIM program offers

DICT launched the program in mid-2025. Based on GMA News' report of the launch on June 26, 2025:

  • Benefit: a SIM card loaded with 25 GB of mobile data per month for 12 months, renewed automatically
  • Who gets it: students, teachers and non-teaching staff of public schools in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA)
  • How schools are picked: DepEd and the Department of the Interior and Local Government identify the beneficiary schools and areas
  • Budget: P3 billion, with an initial target of about one million SIMs
  • Price to government: about P250 per SIM, below the roughly P300 market price for a comparable 25 GB load

DICT officials said at the launch that one SIM can serve a whole household, and that free connectivity would not last forever. The idea is for connected areas to become self-sustaining after about two years.

Since then, SIMs have been handed out in batches across the country. The Philippine Information Agency has reported distributions to schools in Isabela, Bukidnon and Negros Oriental, and a DSWD regional office reported a rollout to 4Ps households in Romblon in April 2026.

Will Bislig qualify?

That is the open question. The program targets GIDA schools, and an endorsement does not guarantee inclusion. Bislig has a mix of urban schools in Mangagoy and Poblacion and far-flung schools in upland barangays, so only some campuses may meet the criteria.

The resolution does not name specific schools, and Bislig Today found no public reply from DepEd's central office or DICT as of October 24, 2026.

What parents and teachers can do

Families and school staff who want to know whether their school is included should ask their school head or the DepEd Schools Division Office of Bislig City. Since beneficiary schools are chosen by government agencies, be wary of any unofficial social media post asking for personal details in exchange for a "free SIM," and check with your school first.

Sources: City of Bislig, Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolution No. 2026-702 (adopted August 18, 2026), published at bislig.gov.ph; GMA News, "DICT eyes 1M SIM cards for students, teachers in remote areas by 2026" (June 26, 2025); Philippine Information Agency regional reports on Bayanihan SIM distribution; DSWD Field Office IV-B (April 2026).