THE Philippines was announced as one of the 18 winners during the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2024 Ceremony held on 28 May 2024. 

The “Empowering disaster response in Northern Mindanao through the use of local radio network” project bested four other projects from Azerbaijan, Algeria, Malaysia, and Mexico to win Category C2 - Information and Communications Infrastructure. 

Spearheaded by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), through its Region 10 Office, the Regional Disaster Network (RDN) project revolutionized disaster response in the Northern Mindanao region by leveraging VHF/HF radio technology and redundancy in communications infrastructure. 

The RDN seeks to strengthen coordination among disaster risk reduction management agencies, resulting in swift response efforts and ensuring that no one is left behind in times of crisis. 

DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy with DICT Regional Director Sittie Rahma Alawi received the award from International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. 

In his acceptance speech, Secretary Uy expressed his gratitude to the ITU for recognizing the DICT's efforts to enhance disaster resilience and collaboration in the global stage.