The city government here sealed a new partnership with Globe Telecom for the provision of free WiFi services in key areas early next year.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, who signed the agreement on behalf of the city government, expressed his desire for the highly urbanized city “to be well connected”.

“We want really to be partner with you. We want Iloilo to be ready for all the investments coming in and we want Iloilo to be as competitive as all the other cities, which are also trying to be a smart city in the Philippines,” he said in his message before the agreement signing at the city hall.

The Globe GoWiFi services will be made available at the City Hall, Sunburst Park, and Iloilo Freedom Grandstand.

Executive Assistant Francis T. Cruz said the telecommunications firm will have to install access points for the public to have access to free WiFi.

“It will be on all floors. It was stated that you could use it all day,” he said about the connection at the city hall.

He added that the free WiFi can be availed of by clients while waiting for their transactions at the city hall and for online payment.

“One of the basic foundations of a smart city is the infrastructure, the connectivity. And this is one area where our commercial service provider will be able to provide for our constituents,” he said.

Cruz said they are working on the city’s facilities for online transactions, adding that next year, they hope to launch an online payment system.

In 2020, those who are seeking to renew their permits can apply online, he said.

The city government is also working on its records management system starting with the Local Civil Registrar, followed by the Office of the Building Official.

Other signatories of the agreement were Cruz, Globe WiFi Business Group director Janis Racpan, Globe Business Visayas Industry head Paulette Villaflor, and VisMin cluster head Carlo Ortiz.

“This partnership with Iloilo City is a huge step for us at GoWiFi in reaching and connecting more customers. By providing free, high-quality connectivity to constituents, we aim to be of significant help in the city’s continuous growth as an economic center in the Western Visayas region,” said Racpan.

Treñas said he wanted all the schools in the city to have connectivity and he sent a memorandum to all schools to check their internet connection.

The mayor added that the city government will provide for schools that have no connection.

He said he would like to see that graduates are “trained and trainable” so they can work in call centers. (PNA)