"Rolling out in an archipelago and in the countryside presents unique challenges. However, we are committed to doing this. Recently, we fired up an LTE base station in Pag-asa Island in the municipality of Kalayaan, the country’s most remote cell site. We have also fired up a cell site in the far-flung community of Brgy. Tucdao, Kawayan in Biliran. We have been constantly improving our services by expanding our network wherever possible," said Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering. "We recognize that there are still opportunities to have more of our country men connected, and the demand will only increase further. We will continue to invest to bring the Philippines to the level of the best in the region." 

“In this time where social media contributes in shaping public opinion that can impact the delivery of social services, the building of telecommunications infrastructures will help improve the efficient execution of important government programs and adherence to the requirement of transparency in governance,” said Maguindanao Governor, Bai Mariam S. Mangudadatu.  
 
“A strong internet connectivity will make it easier for the government employees to send and receive important documents from different locations in real-time. Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, the provincial government of Maguindanao has been very active in using the online platforms in legislating and making legal issuances available to the public through the social media,” she added.

Helping Maguindanao

Smart began to actively engage in the communities of Maguindanao in 2017 when it partnered with the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) in the development of Tahderiyyah literacy app.  Tahderiyyah which means nursery school, teaches Islamic values while also developing the learning competencies of children ages 3-5 to make them school-ready.  More than 30 Tahderiyyah teachers in Maguindanao were trained in script writing and storyboard making to aid them in the creation of curriculum-aligned stories and educational games that were used as contents in the e-learning app.   The app was formally launched in 2018 and is part of the learning tools being used in around 1,000 centers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).  
 
In partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and Synergeia Foundation, Smart donated School-in-a-Bag (SIAB) to selected schools in the municipalities of Upi, Datu Paglas and Talayan in Maguindanao.  SIAB is a portable digital classroom that utilizes mobile technology, an innovative 21st century teaching pedagogy and K+12 content designed to facilitate learning in basic education. It is suitable even in areas without electricity and internet signal.  
 
To also help the indigenous people living in Maguindanao, PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) visited a Teduray community in the municipality of Datu Abdullah Sangki.  With the assistance of the LGU, PSF distributed school supplies to the Teduray school kids in Sitio Bisang, Barangay Taliwasa.  

New Market for Culture-based Industry 

Maguindanao has a rich culture which includes the living tradition of weaving, a skill which is innate to Maguindanaon and Iranun women that is passed on from generation to generation.

The women in the town of General SK Pendatun continue the tradition by creating woven bags made out of dried water hyacinth.  The water hyacinth weaving has helped them provide for the daily needs of their families and support the education of their children.  Water Hyacinth is a readily available raw material in the lakes and rivers within the province.  

 
Inaul which is a Maguindanaon word for “woven” is a traditional cloth commonly used as wraparound skirts by both men and women.  To keep the Inaul tradition alive, the local government of Maguindanao created the Inaul Festival to showcase the use of the traditional loom in different forms of art, medium and in contemporary fashion.  
 
Inaul weaver Bai Hainon Odin Abdullah who is based in the municipality of Sultan Kudarat supports her family by selling Inaul that she, her mother and siblings make.  “Kilala ang pamilya namin na gumagawa ng Inaul pero dahil sa pandemic nahihirapan na kaming magbenta sa tindahan,” shares Bai Hainon. [Our family is known for Inaul weaving but because of the pandemic, it’s hard to sell it in the shops.]
 
Bai Hainon had to figure out different ways to bring in money for her family. When she started selling Inaul to her neighbors and friends, she noticed that many are selling products online.  “Naisip kong magbenta online dahil madami akong nakikita sa Facebook na nagsusuot ng Inaul. Sumubok akong magpost at nagbakasakaling makabenta.  “Malaking tulong ang internet connection sa amin dahil nakakapagbenta na ako online at mas madali akong ma-contact ng mga customer ko,” she narrates.  [I have been seeing posts on Facebook of people wearing Inaul so I tried sharing photos of our products hoping that people would buy. It helps a lot that we have internet connection because I can now sell online and my customers find it easier to get in touch with me.]   Nowadays, she receives orders from Manila, Zamboanga and Sulu.   

Connecting Maguindanao

To respond to the growing demand of mobile services and connectivity not just in Maguindanao but all over the country, PLDT and Smart invested around P260B from 2015 to 2019 for the expansion of fiber and LTE network infrastructure.  With the easing of lockdown restrictions, PLDT has set its target capital expenditures to P70B or more for 2020 to improve services nationwide.  Recently, Smart secured 1,254 permits to build new towers from different Local Government Units including the 11 municipalities in Maguindanao namely:  Boldun, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Salibo, General SK Pendatun, Mamasapano, Pagalungan, Paglat, Pandag, Rajah Buayan and Upi.
 
With thousands of macro and micro cellsites and more than 50,000 base stations strategically situated across the country, Smart is committed to continuously provide superior mobile services to its customers.  Complementing the towers is also the laying of an extensive fiber optic network currently at about 395,000 kilometers to ensure a faster and more reliable internet connection.