BY MINKA TIANGCO
Thirty-four MNLKonek digital kiosks were unveiled Monday morning along España Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila.
Each kiosk can serve up to 100 users with free internet access with a speed of up to 200 mbps.
The kiosks also have phone booths, charging stations, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and built-in tablets that can be used to browse for directions, maps, and information, among others.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso ordered the installation of these WiFi hotspot terminals on March 2020.
The first MNLKonek digital kiosk was opened near the Andres Bonifacio Monument and the city hall in 2019.
Domagoso said they opened the digital kiosks in time for the supposed opening of classes on August 24.
He also said that they plan to open more MNLKonek kiosks around the capital city.
Earlier, the Manila mayor announced that they will purchase and distribute around P1.065 billion worth of laptops and tablets for the city’s public school students and teachers to equip them for the blended and distance learning set-up amid the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The gadgets will be distributed before the opening of classes, he added.
According to data from the Department of Education, Manila led other cities in Metro Manila in terms of the highest number of public school enrollees for Academic Year 2020-2021.
As of July 21, there is a total of 289,781 enrollees in public schools in the city, the Division of City Schools-Manila said. (Minka Tiangco)
