PLDT’s wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has partnered with over 350 local government units (LGUs) and organizations for Smart Infocast and Project Hotline, enhancing their communication capabilities and assisting LGUs, disaster management offices and academic communities in disseminating latest news, COVID-19 and vaccine-related information, as well as crisis alerts.
Smart Infocast is a web-based text-broadcasting solution that also allows registered subscribers to send feedback to the system administrator. Meanwhile, Project Hotline is a dedicated communication channel where mobile users can reach authorities by means of a local hotline.
“Our City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) used to rely heavily on radio networks. Now, we can reach barangays through SMS, enhancing our early warning system during emergencies and disasters,” said Aldro Berenguel of Oroquieta City’s CDRRMO, which was onboarded on the Infocast platform in August.
Schools like Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela, Mabolo National High School, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University are also using Infocast to circulate enrollment news and module distribution schedules to students.
Quirino State University, which deployed Infocast in February, found the platform helpful in reaching out to their students located in various areas amid the pandemic. “This partnership is a great help to students in far-flung areas who shouldn’t miss out on important announcements,” said QSU President Dr. Hermenegildo Samoy, Jr.
Cagayan de Oro’s Roads and Traffic Administration, on the other hand, has been utilizing this system since April to send updates on the traffic situation to their enforcers. “With Infocast, they can access the information right away,” said Benedicto Ramiro, RTA Administrative Officer.
Ligaya Moneva, Head of Department of Health Region 7 - Health Promotion and Communication Unit, said that Smart’s solutions also help Filipinos make informed health-related decisions. “This will be a platform for DOH-7 to be the trusted source of information to combat vaccine misinformation and further boost the public confidence in vaccines,” said Moneva, as DOH Region 7’s Infocast went live in March.
Smart Infocast and Project Hotline have been deployed in various areas across the country, including Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Batangas, Albay, Iloilo, Leyte, and Samar, Davao, Zamboanga, and Bukidnon, among others.
These initiatives support the PLDT Group’s commitment to help the country attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal # 11 of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
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