They’re no stranger to calamities, and helping people has always been part of their job. But the PLDT Asset Protection and Security Risk Governance (APSRG) Visayas and Mindanao teams encountered a much tougher situation when they faced Odette, the strongest typhoon to hit the country in 2021.

“The crucial first 3 days was when Mindanao was cut off from the domestic fiber optic network due to fiber optic cable cuts which isolated the island from the rest of the country,” recounted Mindanao Asset Protection Head Nepthali S. Cabanos.  “Satellite phone technology enabled the team to immediately start restoring the PLDT network. We also brought the radio with repeater which allowed us to have communication link within a certain area.”

Commitment and malasakit came to the fore as they actively participated in the transport and rescue of PLDT and Smart employees and their families from flooded houses, and assisted in the delivery and distribution of relief packs to affected employees. They likewise provided manpower support to the PLDT and Smart Network and Sales groups, which included helping manage the Libreng Tawag at Libreng Charge in designated facilities.

Cabanos made special mention of the frontliners under Team Head Antonino Dacanay and Security Inspector Stanley Bumanglag with Mega Matrix security personnel. “Before Odette made her landfall in the Caraga region, these frontliners were sent to work in Butuan and proceeded to Surigao Del Norte and Surigao Del Sur after the super typhoon’s onslaught.” Another laudable deed was shown by Team Head Rfitzrentzel Arancel’s group with Double Tap security staff who assisted in the transport of employees stranded by the floods in Cagayan De Oro.

His group, according to Cabanos, “is the general support of all internal clients in need. We conduct rescue and evacuation, among other housekeeping tasks, hence, enabling other employees to carry out their respective tasks with the least disruption.

It is the strong support from other people that empowers us to gain ground and gather strength after a cataclysm. With PLDT APSRG teams’ readiness to provide help and support, even super typhoons can be endured with hope and courage.

The repair and restoration of PLDT and Smart’s network and other facilities in the typhoon-ravaged areas of Visayas and Mindanao form part of the PLDT Group’s aim to help the country attain the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly promoting SDG#11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.