In support of the Philippine government’s efforts to bolster the country’s disaster preparedness and response capabilities, PLDT Inc., Smart Communications, and Huawei Technologies Philippines recently turned over an initial batch of PLDT-Smart Ligtas Kits to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The turnover ceremony underscores a shared commitment to ensuring resilient, uninterrupted communications during natural and man-made emergencies.
“We believe that building a disaster-ready Philippines requires strong collaboration across sectors. This way we can leverage our collective expertise, resources, and technology to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to emergencies quickly and effectively, and have no community left disconnected when it matters most,” said Roby Alampay, FVP and head of Public Engagement at PLDT and Smart.
The PLDT-Smart Ligtas Kit is a portable, all-in-one emergency communications package designed to provide immediate connectivity and communication support to communities and first responders during critical situations such as typhoons, earthquakes, and other disasters. Each Ligtas Kit includes mobile phones, Wi-Fi routers, solar charging equipment, power banks, SIM cards, and other vital emergency tools. Each kit also comes with a comprehensive Emergency Communications Training (ECT) session, building the capability of responders to maintain communication lines when commercial power and networks are unavailable.
“Part of DICT’s mandate is to ensure uninterrupted communication during emergencies, because it is vital in disaster response and recovery,” said Paul Mercado, DICT Undersecretary for Infostructure Management and Cybersecurity. “We thank PLDT, Smart, and Huawei for their assistance in building a more resilient Philippines.”
This turnover builds on the gains of a multi-stakeholder workshop held earlier this year with DICT, PLDT, Smart, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), and others. During the workshop, DICT regional offices from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao worked with disaster experts to create localized emergency communication plans, that are meant to help build the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) for the Philippines, to ensure fast and coordinated responses during disasters. The PLDT-Smart Ligtas Kits will be given to these DICT regional offices, starting with areas most at risk, to support the implementation of their communication plans.
“This collaboration is a concrete example of digital bayanihan where the government and private sector work together for a common goal. Along with the deployment of the kit, PLDT, Smart and other partners also helped us build our capacity in emergency communications planning, enabling our 15 regional offices to develop their respective emergency communication plans,” according to DICT Assistant Secretary for Regional Development Maria Teresa Camba.
The turnover event at the DICT headquarters was attended by several key officials, including DICT Undersecretary Sarah Sison, Assistant Secretary Camba, Infostructure Management Bureau Directors Dennis Morales and Liza Rabena, Huawei’s Karrie Buenafe, PLDT’s Roby Alampay, and Smart AVP and Head of Stakeholder Engagement Team Stephanie Orlino.
The PLDT-Smart Ligtas Kit is a key component of The PLDT Group’s much broader program to enable the use of technology for disaster resilience, to create a #SafeandSmartPH.
