Upper left: Undersecretary Angelo Nuestro of the DICT delivers the Philippine presentation at the ASEAN Connectivity Forum. The forum was attended by experts from ASEAN Member States, ASEAN External Partners, government officials and heads of diplomatic missions in Seoul, and the private sector. Lower right: Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega and former US Amb. Scot Marciel who now represents BowerGroup Asia discuss regional developments in ASEAN at the sidelines of the forum.

27 December 2022, Seoul - The Philippines, led by Department of Information, Communications, and Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Angelo Nuestro participated in the ASEAN Expanded Connectivity Forum hosted by the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN-Korea Centre on 8 December 2022. With the theme “Advancing ASEAN Connectivity through Partnerships among Dialogue Partners”, the dialogue focused on cooperation through a nexus among the connectivity initiatives of ASEAN external partners. The forum was also attended by Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Choi Youngsam, Secretary General of ASEAN-Korea Centre Kim Hae Yong, and connectivity experts from ASEAN External Partners including ROK, US, Japan, Australia, and the European Union. 

During the forum, Undersecretary Nuestro highlighted the Philippines’ Five Phases of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) which aims to provide faster, more efficient, and equitable broadband connectivity for the Philippines, including its remote areas. The Undersecretary also affirmed the importance of international cooperation with official development partners, including ASEAN external partners, to carry out extensive infrastructure investments in select regions. The Philippines likewise highlighted its active sub-regional cooperation initiatives in Digital Startup Development and Acceleration Program and its chairing of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) ICT cluster for the period 2022-2025.

Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega, Commercial Counselor Jose Ma. Dinsay, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario, and Mr. Angelo Ezekiel Nuestro of the DICT also formed part of the Philippine delegation. END