Cabanatuan City Mayor Myca Vergara, first row, center, leads the virtual contract signing ceremony with Smart.
PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) have teamed up with the City Government of Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija to roll out free Wi-Fi in the city’s key areas, providing connectivity solutions amid communication difficulties in this pandemic.
Under this partnership, fast, reliable, and fiber-powered Smart WiFi will be installed in Cabanatuan City’s Municipal Hall, across the city's different barangays, and select schools and hospitals.
“In this day and age, when even the simplest of exchanges have become digital, ensuring access to fast and reliable internet connection is essential to public administration and service,” said Cabanatuan City Mayor Myca Vergara. “I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Smart for aiding us in our pursuit of the best change and progress for all Cabanatuenos,” she added.
Leading the virtual contract signing ceremony was Mayor Vergara, along with other members from the Cabanatuan City LGU. Joining her were Smart representatives led by AVP and Regional Head of Customer Development Leonides Nivado and AVP and Center Head of Community Solutions and Business Development Pedro Luis de Guzman.
The Smart WiFi deployed in the city’s COVID-19 isolation facility in Barangay Kapitan Pepe ensures the connectivity needs of its frontliners. This also enables around 300 patients to virtually keep in touch with their families and lessen their anxiety while in quarantine.
Smart is also firing up Smart Infocast in Cabanatuan City, a web-based text broadcasting service that allows the LGU to disseminate information to their residents with ease.
“We are excited to welcome Cabanatuan City as one of our LGU partners in building a better world. Our commitment as a company is to support initiatives by the government in enabling and empowering local communities through ICT infrastructure and digitalization,” said de Guzman.
“The pandemic has drastically transformed how we live our lives. PLDT and Smart play a big role in bridging the digital divide, which is key to achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Investment in infrastructure such as free public Wi-Fi is key to economic growth and development, and this partnership with Cabanatuan brings the benefits of the Internet closer to its constituents,” Nivado said.
This initiative is aligned with Smart's “Live Smarter for a Better World” campaign, which elevates long-running community partnerships and enables “personal revolutions” that inspire lasting positive change through connectivity and CSR initiatives.
