PLDT and Smart Communications have restored 5G communications to Surigao and Misamis Oriental, as well as Puerto Princesa in Palawan, following the super typhoon Odette. In the afflicted areas, this provides much-needed communication services like as phone calls, text messages, and mobile internet access.
Customers could also send SMS and transact on their LTE-enabled mobile phones in Coron, an island group in northern Palawan, where the PLDT company had previously restored LTE services. For handsets with VoLTE capability, voice calls were also available.
Following the onslaught of #OdettePH, Palawan is one of the worst-hit provinces. On Friday, a tropical cyclone made landfall in the Roxas area, wreaking havoc on the entire province with high winds and severe rainfall.
To help the province’s repair and restoration efforts, PLDT and Smart’s private air charter company Pacific Global One Aviation (PG1) has brought in more staff and mission-critical equipment. They’re also working with partners and local government agencies to get relief supplies to Palawan as soon as possible.
In the meantime, Surigao del Norte has seen the reopening of a number of locations. In the Tubod and Bad-as población regions, as well as in Barangay Taganito, which includes the Taganito Mining Corporation in Claver, Smart is the first to restore wireless services. Placer and Sison, as well as other municipalities in the province, are connected by Bad-as, which is a key network route.
Also about the same time, Smart’s wireless service in Misamis Oriental, which covered 97 percent of sites from Balingasag to Magsaysay and offered voice, SMS, and data to consumers was restored.
PayMaya can be used to make a donation and aid with relief operations. The PSF’s PayMaya QR code may be simply scanned, the amount can be entered, and the user can make a donation. They can also make a donation through the PayMaya app’s Pay Bills Tile — go to Donations, select PSF from the list of partners, enter 00000 in the Account Number field, and enter the amount to be donated. PSF’s online donation website (https://donate.paymaya.com/donate/oneagainstcovid19/pldt-smart-foundation) can be accessed by anybody with a credit, debit, or prepaid card.