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Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star
February 6, 2026 | 12:00am
President Marcos interacts with Convi the humanoid and Convo the robot dog at the Converge booth during the Philippine Telecommunications Summit 2026 at the Newport Dome in Newport Resorts World, Pasay City yesterday. Looking on is DICT Secretary Henry Aguda.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Nearly two weeks after being diagnosed with an illness in the large intestine, President Marcos yesterday resumed attending events outside Malacañang, wherein he reaffirmed his support for efforts to develop the country’s workforce and boost digital connectivity.
Marcos led the launch of the skills passport mobile application of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in San Juan and the Telecommunications Summit 2026 in Pasay City yesterday, his first engagements outside the Palace since he was brought to hospital due to a discomfort caused by diverticulitis.
He has visibly lost weight, although he has gained some flesh compared to his appearance in the videos released by the Presidential Communications Office immediately after his diverticulitis
episode. But the two events were noticeably short, both of them not lasting for more than an hour.
The President underwent medical observation at the St. Luke’s Medical Center last Jan. 21. Because of his health condition, he was forced to skip some out-of-town engagements and limited himself to events and private meetings at Malacañang.
Marcos, who has been advised by his doctors to slow down on his work, recently denied rumors that his condition had deteriorated, even teasing his critics not to be “too excited” because his condition is not life-threatening.
More opportunities vowed
Marcos yesterday vowed to ensure that education would have enough funds and enhance the capabilities of Filipino workers.
“We will use technology to keep up with the times and to expand the opportunities for our countrymen. Filipino workers are naturally diligent and skillful. They just need more opportunities so their skills and efforts can be used,” the President said during the launch of the TESDA skills passport mobile application.
According to Marcos, the government allocated more than P1 trillion to the education sector and nearly P20 billion to TESDA this year.
The TESDA skills passport mobile application is a digital platform that aims to integrate learning, certification, employment and scholarship services. It was designed to enable users to establish verified digital identities, track progress, search for opportunities and access government support.
Connectivity challenges
Marcos also urged various sectors to work together to address the broadband access challenges in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas during the Telecommunications Summit 2026, which gathered stakeholders of the telco sector and policymakers.
“Delays in permits, right-of-way restrictions, fiber cuts and power interruptions further widen these gaps. These affect real lives. They limit access to education, they constrain economic opportunity and slow national progress. This is the reason why our cooperation is important,” Marcos said.
“The government, private sector and local communities need to unite because no sector can face this challenge alone,” he added.
Marcos cited the enactment of the Konektadong Pinoy Act, which he said removed longstanding barriers that slowed progress and limited competition.
Marcos also mentioned the completion of the first three phases of the National Fiber Backbone Project; the Free Public Internet Access Program, which involves the maintenance of more than 9,500 active free Wi-Fi access points in 5,057 public places; and the Bayanihan SIM Card Project, which distributed over 89,400 subsidized SIM cards to public school students, teachers and indigent communities.
