As Typhoon Jolina lashes Eastern Visayas and barrels towards Southern Luzon, PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) are deploying workers, equipment, and relief aid.
Quick response personnel and mission-critical equipment have been prepositioned in typhoon-prone areas, ready to restore communications that would be disrupted by ‘Jolina.’ PLDT and Smart are continuing to work with local government entities to see how they can help communities affected by the typhoon.
Smart is also ready to deploy Libreng Tawag (free calls), Libreng Charging (free charging), Libreng WiFi (free wifi) stations to aid communication needs of residents who will be affected by the storm. In the past, these pop-up communication booths have become the lifeline for affected residents to connect with their relatives.
Smart has also pre-stocked its stores and business partners with products so that they can provide customers credits in the coming days.
As Typhoon Jolina pounded the Eastern Visayas with gusts of up to 120 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 150 km/h, PAGASA issued Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 over areas of Masbate, Northern Samar, Samar, and Leyte on Tuesday morning.
By advocating efforts that encourage a culture of readiness, providing immediate response through network resilience, continuous availability of communication services, and relief assistance to communities affected by disasters, PLDT and Smart hope to establish a #SafeandSmart Philippines.
The programs aimed at making communities more resilient in disasters are in line with PLDT and Smart’s commitment to helping the country achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #11, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by significantly reducing the number of people affected by disasters.
