Following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette, the PLDT Facilities Management (FM) Visayas and Mindanao teams stood their ground, keeping PLDT office facilities running so they can continue to serve nearby communities.
“My team members worked tirelessly during and after Odette, their malasakit and service are boundless,” said PLDT Visayas Facilities Management Head Melchor Y. Condrillon. “One of their heroic efforts was hauling diesel fuel from PLDT Mactan and Talisay to support the diesel requirements of Cebu Jones and Mandaue generators, ensuring the continuous operation of these facilities despite the long duration of power failure,” he related.
Together with Maintenance Technicians Arnold Brignas and John Ray Suminggit, Condrillon managed operations at the PLDT Jones office, Renan Ursabia tended PLDT Mactan, while the rest of the team were deployed in Bacolod, Cadiz, Kabankalan and Tanjay in Negros, and Lapaz and Roxas in Panay.
“Voice signal and internet connection were hugely affected by Odette, so it was very challenging to coordinate with my team,” Condrillon said, adding that “even reaching out to our family was difficult due to poor connectivity.”
Using their service vehicle during the typhoon was unsafe, according to him, “due to the vast and dangerous flying debris caused by the strong gusty winds. Some areas were flooded and even with the pickup truck, we found it tough to travel and deliver supplies to other PLDT offices in the Visayas. But we managed to deliver.”
In Mindanao, where Odette left a similar trail of destruction, the PLDT Mindanao FM deployed responders to deliver fuel and supplies to affected areas, as well as conduct repair and clearing activities.
“Despite the challenges wrought by Odette, my team showed commitment, malasakit, and strong resilience,” noted PLDT Mindanao Facilities Management Head Claro V. Landeta. “They also made the sacrifice of spending Christmas away from their families,” he added.
From December 14 to 30, 2021, Landeta’s team worked at the PLDT Davao Metro office, monitoring the typhoon’s trajectory, ensuring that the generator stayed up and running, and going as far as Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental, and Davao del Norte to deliver diesel fuel to affected sites in Surigao, Cabadbaran, and Butuan. The team was composed of Maintenance Technicians Donald Juab, Marlon Algabre, Evan Roy Burlat, Marcial Kimanhan, and Jeffy Nolasco.
“The fuel delivered by my team was intended for the continuous operation of the generators that enabled Surigaonons and Bayuganons to charge the batteries of their celphones, radios, flashlights, and the like,” Landeta said.
Super Typhoon Odette and its aftermath raised overwhelming challenges for the Visayas and Mindanao PLDT FM teams who nevertheless defied the odds and did their utmost, helping distressed people and communities, and reconnecting them to their loved ones.
