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| (Image Source: Orange Magazine TV/Smart Communications) |
PLDT Inc. and its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) have turned over a #Ligtas Kit to the City Governments of Dumaguete in Negros Oriental and Bogo in Cebu, the first in the said province, as part of the group’s ongoing efforts to help build disaster-resilient communities across the country. Underscoring the group’s #SafeandSmart advocacy, the Ligtas Kit aims to serve the urgent communication needs of communities in times of catastrophic events. Packed in a protective hard case, this all-in-one emergency communications package contains a power station, solar panel, rechargeable handy megaphone, crank radio, satellite phone (SmartSAT) with initial load, smartphone, Smart LTE pocket Wi-Fi, rechargeable flashlight, and whistle that can help augment the emergency response of disaster management offices across the country.
Apart from assisting emergency response teams, this kit also enables local government units and agencies to provide immediate communication aid to the public by deploying free calling and charging stations. This program also includes capacity-building sessions, such as Emergency Communications training with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), to assist Ligtas Kit recipients in improving their disaster communications initiatives. Together, the technologies and capacity-building training sessions are expected to help strengthen the communities, making them disaster-ready and resilient. Developing and promoting the Ligtas Kit is part of PLDT and Smart’s much broader commitment to help make a #SafeAndSmart Philippines through the continuous availability of communication services, mobile solutions, and activities to help communities mitigate disaster risks, aligned with the United Nations Sustainability Development Goal (UNSDG) #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
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| (Image Source: Orange Magazine TV/Smart Communications) |
“We at PLDT and Smart remain true to our thrust of keeping communication services up even during natural calamities, especially for the LGUs whose response should never waver or delay. We are glad to contribute to strengthening the disaster preparedness and response of Dumaguete City through PLDT and Smart’s Ligtas Kit,” said PLDT Negros Division Zone Head Armel Malijan. “We thank PLDT and Smart for this initiative. The Ligtas Kit will be very useful not just for the city government but also for the people of Dumaguete,” said Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo. On the other hand, Bogo City's City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) Head Rex Ygot expressed, “We deeply appreciate PLDT and Smart’s donation of a Ligtas Kit to Bogo City. It’s our first time to have a satellite phone and a portable charging port which we think would be a really big help in our emergency operations. We thank PLDT and Smart for choosing us as their beneficiaries. Rest assured that this donation will be put to good use."
