e-vangelism in the Philippines

By Melanie Arroyo

The Catholic church, already a powerful influence on Philippine society, is broadening its reach into cyberspace.

The Catholic Church in cyberspace

CBCPNet (which stands for Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines) aims to become that country's biggest internet service provider.

85 percent of the country's population is Catholic. Thousands of churches and Catholic schools dot the countryside. And if CBCPNet has its way, each of these will help the surrounding community get wired.

Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, who is the church's foremost "e-vangelist", says "the purpose of CBCPNet is to establish internet centers in areas where there are no telephone lines, to make available modern technology to people who have not even seen a computer."

CBCPNet offers a wholesome internet

The church hopes to provide a "wholesome" brand of internet: free of pornography, violence or gambling.

Most commercial ISPs would consider filtering bad business. But in just 1 year, CBCPNet subscribers have jumped from 28 to 40,000 about 10% of the market share.

Since profit is not its highest priority, CBCPNet can charge considerably less than commercial ISPs: for only $2, users can surf for up to 7 hours.

The next step for CBCPNet is to offer online marriage counseling and distance education, as part of its mission to build the Philippines' most extensive internet network.