The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will install a communication tower in Bucarot, a far-flung sub-village in the mountainous town of Adams in Ilocos Norte province, to boost internet connectivity in the area, officials said Wednesday.

DICT Ilocos Norte head Gerald Calamaan said the plan is part of the DICT’s Broadband ng Masa project.

“This is part of the realization of the promise of President (Ferdinand) “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to reach out to isolated and underserved communities of the country,” Calamaan said.

For almost two decades now, Bucarot, mostly composed of the Isnag tribe who prefer to stay within their ancestral domain, has remained a disputed area between the municipalities of Adams and Calanasan in Apayao province.

Because of the dispute, the sub-village has two barangay halls, two basketball courts, and two primary schools, built separately by the two contending municipalities.

“I’m so excited that Bucarot will have its internet connectivity through the DICT project,” Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos said at a press conference when asked about the project.

The DICT earlier said it is targeting to construct 3,273 additional free WiFi sites this year.

The Adams Central Elementary School was among the 40 schools in Ilocos Norte that became a recipient of free public WiFi from the DICT during the past administration. (PNA)