The coastal community of Polillo Islands received a much-needed boost in their disaster preparedness capabilities, with the recent turnover of the Ligtas Kit from PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. (Smart).
Home to five municipalities, the Polillo Group of Islands in Quezon province sustained massive damage due to heavy rains and flooding caused by super typhoon Karding in 2022.
“PLDT and Smart remain fully committed to building stronger and more resilient communities through inclusive mobile technologies. Through the Ligtas Kit, we aim to protect livelihoods and save lives,” said Cathy Yang, First Vice President and Head of Group Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart.
To date, PLDT and Smart have deployed 27 Ligtas Kits to vulnerable provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Group will continue to deploy Ligtas Kits to more communities in need this year.
An all-in-one emergency communications package, the PLDT and Smart Ligtas Kit aims to aid local government units and serve the communication needs of communities during disasters, including residents with disabilities, and leave no one behind.
“We continuously work towards strengthening our emergency response and disaster preparedness programs and allocate resources to these initiatives accordingly. We have established an emergency operations center which we immediately activate during disasters. We also work closely with both local and national governments, including communities, towards building their resilience against disasters, which is why we highly value the role of communication during difficult times,” shared Kristoffer Alpuente, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer of Polillo Islands.
Apart from communication equipment packed in a protective case, each Ligtas Kit will also strengthen community response capacities through emergency communications training sessions.
“Our municipality’s major livelihood is agriculture, one of the hardest hit industries by disasters. Part of our response and recovery efforts include communicating with our communities to ensure their lives and livelihood will be protected. The PLDT and Smart Ligtas Kit will strengthen our communication capacity and boost our initiatives further,” shared Pollilo Island Mayor Angelique Bosque.
The PLDT and Smart Ligtas Kit is part of the group’s #SafeandSmart advocacy which promotes preparedness and immediate response through continuous availability of communication services, mobile solutions, and activities to help communities mitigate disaster risks. This is also aligned with the UN SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
