LocationsIn the highlands of South Upi, Maguindanao, digital connectivity powers local resilience and governance
September 23, 2026
“Kap, ano ang password?” (“Kap, what’s the password?”)
It’s a question Barangay Chairperson Tulundatu Omar constantly answers these days.
As the chieftain or ‘Kap’ of Barangay Lamud in South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur, Kap Omar feels a happy sense of pride and relief when sharing the barangay hall’s Wi-Fi password, especially after years of being digitally disconnected.
On any given day, the area where the barangay hall is situated is the vibrant heart of the community. It is business as usual. Barangay workers attend paperwork while others assist visiting municipal health workers for an information drive. Kap Omar then gives a welcome speech at the small, covered space within the vicinity. Across the road, men are hauling corn produce, while parents walk their way to the hall with their children for another immunization day.
After welcoming community members, Kap scrolls through his phone. “I am sending updates and reports to our municipal office,” he shares with a smile.
With the ICT support provided to the barangay through the Promoting Human Security through Community Economic Development and Livelihood Initiatives in the Bangsamoro Region (CEDAR) Project implemented by UNDP Philippines with the generous support of the Government of Japan, the barangay council no longer experiences delay in submitting essential reports from Barangay Lamud or receiving official directives from municipal authorities.
Barangay Lamud is one of the 11 barangays in South Upi - home to Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIP) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Nestled atop the vast mountains of South Upi, getting to Barangay Lamud takes a 40-minute to an hour motorcycle ride from the municipal hall in the población. Leaving the town proper behind, mobile data suddenly drops to a few bars until not even one appears.
Home to more than 2,000 constituents, mostly belonging from the Teduray-Lambangian Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIP), Barangay Lamud is quickly adopting to digital connectivity.
“The CEDAR project provided us with one satellite internet unit and a portable power generator. Since this was installed in April 2026, it has really become a gamechanger for our regular operations in the barangay,” Kap Omar expressed.
Kap Omar checks the signal of their Wi-Fi connection at their barangay hall in Lamud, South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur. Lamud is one of the communities provided with a high-speed satellite connectivity unit and power generator set through the CEDAR Project.
With only 27 percent of BARMM households connected to the internet, this digital divide disproportionately impacts geographically isolated communities. Closing this gap can turn frontline institutions as lifelines by making public service even more accessible and responsive. In Barangay Lamud, the benefits were immediate.
Installed at the Lamud barangay hall, this high-speed satellite connectivity unit brings instant internet connection, streamlining administrative and reporting tasks for local officials.
Against this backdrop, strengthening barangay local government units in conflict-affected and conflict vulnerable BARMM areas with reliable, practical support addresses barriers to inclusive development. This ensures that such intervention help deliver the tangible dividends of peace to indigenous communities.
In BARMM and adjacent areas - including the provinces of Sarangani, Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Tawi-Tawi - the CEDAR project works alongside 12 vulnerable and conflict-affected communities by identifying targeted interventions to accelerate human security and socio-economic resilience aligned with their local development plans.
Accelerating Better Public Outcomes
Today, with the satellite internet unit in the barangay hall, information reaches them effortlessly and updating happens in real-time. While this seamless connection brings convenience among barangay workers, it is also reliable in times of calamities.
“Last month, there were days of relentless and heavy rain. We were able to instantly send our situation reports to the municipal hall, and share data to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Office, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),” Kap Omar shares.
As such, barangay leaders have also improved communication with their constituents, including those in distant sitios (villages) by sharing critical information for disaster preparedness, and actively responding to local directives.
The digital infrastructure support is also helping local institutions deliver critical administrative tasks.
“While the barangay council, especially our secretary, can now draft and submit our reports digitally, the true benefits belong to the whole community,” Kap Omar adds, noting faster submission translates into timely approval, service delivery and greater accountability.
Digital connectivity in Barangay Lamud is no longer a distant future. The rise of Piso Wi-Fi units has also sparked business opportunities while extending internet connectivity to distant sitios.
Without the ICT intervention, submitting documents had to be hand-delivered to the municipal hall, where they needed to spend approximately PHP350 (US$ 5) for a single roundtrip fare. Before, whenever the municipal office issues a memorandum, someone has to pick up the document.
“We had to travel all the way down just to send updates or submit reports, and they often ended up late. Sometimes the roads were completely impassable due to heavy rains,” Kap Omar recalls.
On the other hand, health workers coordinating local programs have equally benefited from this digital transition. At times, the barangay hall provides internet connectivity to community members, reaching their relatives working overseas.
Strengthening local institutions is part of a broader milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process.
The new Lamud barangay hall stands beside the old building. This new infrastructure marks a major milestone in the community, improving service delivery and community participation.
"CEDAR’s engagement in Barangay Lamud comes at a timely milestone as we look forward to the newly built barangay hall, now with better facilities and more space to accommodate our constituents. The ICT support from the CEDAR project is helping us become more ready to deliver public service to the people of Lamud as we adopt digitalization."Barangay Chairman Tulundatu Omar
These investments could also serve as a leverage, as an active proposal is underway in the Bangsamoro Parliament to declare Sitio Mekir in Barangay Lamud a neutral Peace Sanctuary and Safe Evacuation Center for NMIPs caught in armed conflict. In this context, leveraging digital and resilient public infrastructure provides vulnerable families with essential support, and enables real-time coordination for local authorities.
As he traced his recent activities on his mobile phone - coordinating daily with partners, the local government unit and their constituents - he shared how he used to ponder, “Before we got Wi-Fi, I used to wonder how a place like ours could ever access this ICT tool.”
Now, that wonder has turned into a daily reality for the community of Lamud. “It is not only the barangay council who benefits this support. It is the whole of Lamud, our constituents.”
About CEDAR
The Promoting Human Security through Community Economic Development and Livelihood Initiatives in the Bangsamoro Region (CEDAR) Project aims to enhance human security by strengthening community economic development through targeted livelihood support, and to contribute to an enabling environment for sustainable area-based development in conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable communities, promote human security through community economic development and livelihood initiatives, and enhance local capacities to implement community transformation for peace process. CEDAR is supported by the Government of Japan and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines.
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