21-05-2025
Comelec eyes donation of 8,000 Starlink units used in Eleksyon 2025 to public schools
Around 8,000 units of satellite network Starlink that were used during the recently concluded midterm elections are expected to be donated to public schools nationwide, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia said Wednesday.
Garcia said that the iOne Resources, Inc., the distributor tapped for the transmission of the election results, will be the one to donate the Starlink devices, but the Comelec will help them facilitate.
To recall, the Comelec earlier distributed thousands of Starlink units in areas with limited connectivity for the conduct of the 2025 national and local elections.
'Lahat po 'yun ay isosoli sa kanila. Pero ngayon kino-kolekta dahil nga baka mawala, nasa mga bubong kasi ng mga paaralan…Kahapon pinag-usapan namin na tuloy na tuloy naman ang kanilang donation kung saka-sakali,' the poll chairman said in a Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
(All of those units are expected to be returned. They are currently being collected because they were placed on the roofs of schools. But yesterday, we talked with iOne and it seems that they will push through with the donation.)
'Sabi namin, okay naman na ma-donate talaga sa DepEd. Kami very supportive kami. 'Konti lang naman ang Comelec, madami po kaming lugar na walang signal, baka pwedeng ma-donate din lalo na 'yung sa mga municipal board of canvassers sa mga munisipyo sa mga lugar na walang signal, mga GIDA sites,'' he added.
(We told them that it's okay if those will be donated to DepEd. We're very supportive of that. There are only a few Comelec offices, but there are a lot of areas without signal, especially in municipalities in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas.) —RF, GMA Integrated News
For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
