CH needs P10 million to repair communication network

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu City’s Management Information and Computer Services (MICS) needs at least P10 million to repair the Wide Area Network (WAN) at the City Hall that was destroyed by typhoon Odette in December last year.

Conrado Ordesta III, MICS assistant department head, said they will focus on the repair of the network this year.

The purpose of WAN is to provide a strong connection in the City Hall offices, and ensure that they are connected to make communication and system easier in each office.

“The plan is already with the BAC (Bids and Awards Committee)…for bidding. Diri sa  taas mao niy atong major point unya ug ang different remote offices  i-connect sila tanan diri og balik,” said Ordesta.

Ordesta said the antennas were damaged in some City Hall offices such as the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), and other city offices outside the City Hall building.

“Kada usa ana (buhatan) ang data kinahanglan siya og dako nga bandwidth. So, mahal-mahal na siya nga antenna. Lagyo man ang atong mga building. Pinakalayo diay ang DSWS (Department of Social Welfare Services) sa Labangon ug kani sa DGS (Department of General Services) nga molabang og dagat.  I-connect sad na namo,” he explained.

Ordesta also mentioned that the “network backbone” at the City Hall is already completed— previously copper, now fiber internet in both the executive and legislative building.

Meanwhile, he said another plan of MICS that requires funding is the so-called back-up Disaster Recovery System of the city government’s internet network.

“Wa naapil sa budget karong tuiga pero mao nay akong major projects sad. In case of disaster, maguba ang usa ka building…maka-function gihapon ang City Government thru our Disaster Recovery System,” said Ordesta.

“Dako-dako sad ni (og pundo nga kinahanglan) kay mahimon mang duha ang among choice, either physical or i-cloud. So, kung cloud-based, di siya bulto ang pagbutang sa budget kay monthly ra man ta, subscription-based,” he added.

Ordesta said the project will require P5 million per month if the data collection is to be done through the “cloud.”

He said if the city builds its own server, they will need a budget of P50 million to P100 million as the government will have to build its own data center. — FPL (FREEMAN)