To help the communities severely affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda, the country’s three mobile phone operators -- Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, and Sun Cellular -- have agreed to provide 25 free SMS per day for five days that may be used for local and international text messages.
 
The joint offer will be available to subscribers in Tacloban City and the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Leyte, northern Cebu and the Samar.
 
"This is a time for Filipinos to come together and help our countrymen in their hour of great need.  This joint effort will help Smart, Sun Cellular and Talk 'N Text subscribers in the typhoon-struck areas to communicate with their loved ones at home and abroad,"  saidCharles A. Lim, executive vice president of Smart and chief operating officer of Digital Mobile Philippines.
 
“This free service is open to all Globe Postpaid, Globe Prepaid, and TM subs in these Eastern Visayas provinces.  This is the company’s way of giving assistance to our customers who are suffering from the typhoon’s onslaught and who need to reach out to their family and friends in the country and abroad,” said Peter Bithos, Chief Operating Advisor for Globe Consumer Business Group.
 
The free 25 daily SMS bundles are available from November 13 to 17 and can be used to send text messages across all networks.  There is also an allocation for international SMS.  It will be pushed automatically to subscribers at the start of each day. Subscribers will receive SMS notifications once the bundles are sent. No registration is required.
 
The three operators came to this unprecedented agreement in response to the extreme devastation caused by the super typhoon. They are also working to restore their respective services and assist emergency relief activities of the government and humanitarian agencies.
 
For Globe and TM subscribers, the free service can be availed by texting BangonPinoy to 8888.