To reach out to communities affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Mindanao, employees of PLDT and wireless unit Smart Communications have initiated a relief distribution for families in Davao del Sur.
Shortly after receiving their Christmas bonuses, the employees pooled their personal donations to purchase relief goods for 200 families in Magsaysay, Matanao, and Padada.
One of those who contributed to the donations was Smart national key accounts head Precy Katigbak. “Christmas is about giving. With the situation of our brothers and sisters in Mindanao, especially during this time, we should do our best to help and provide relief to them,” she said.
“Masarap sa pakiramdam yung makatulong ka sa ibang tao na nangangailangan (Helping people in need makes you feel good). But aside from that, the spirit of Christmas needs to be felt especially in trying times. We need to remind our brothers and sisters that despite the problems they face, there will always be hope,” added Jess Rubino, Smart area head for Northwest Mindanao network field services.
The contribution complements the relief work being undertaken by PLDT and Smart with the assistance of employee volunteers from the sales and network organizations.
Apart from providing relief assistance, Smart also continues to provide communications support through libreng tawag stations at hard-hit areas in Magsaysay, Matanao, and Padada.
The relief and communications aid are part of PLDT-Smart’s #SafePH program, which promotes preparedness and immediate response through network resilience, continuous availability of communication services, mobile solutions and activities to help communities mitigate disaster risks.