PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), together with their social outreach arm PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) and information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices provider Huawei Philippines (Huawei), have strengthened their partnership with the local government unit (LGU) of General Luna in Siargao island, to boost the municipality’s education and emergency response programs.

Two years after Typhoon Odette wreaked havoc on the Island, the Siargaonon community has since bounced back. To help sustain this recovery, PSF and Huawei recently donated a School-in-a-Bag (SIAB), a portable digital classroom created by PLDT and Smart, to three schools on the island, while the PLDT group also provided General Luna’s Municipal Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Office with one PLDT-Smart Ligtas Kit, an all-in-one emergency communications package.

“Thank you for coming to Siargao. With the School-in-a-Bag, learning will be more effective for our children. The Ligtas Kit, on the other hand, will help our LGU more quickly cascade information to Siargaonons, and mobilize our personnel in times of disaster,” said Hon. Sol Matugas, General Luna Mayor.

Each SIAB package carries a laptop, a Smart Bro LTE Pocket WiFi with load allocation, and ten tablets installed with #LearnSmart apps that teach basic literacy and numeracy in the Mother Tongue. 

Meanwhile, the Ligtas Kit comes with a solar panel, a rechargeable megaphone, crank radios, whistles and flashlights. This also includes essential emergency devices like a satellite phone, a smartphone and a Smart Bro LTE Pocket WiFi unit. 

“All these endeavors are committed to one singular goal — that of fulfilling the needs and uplifting the quality of life of Filipinos,” PSF President Esther O. Santos said.

Apart from General Luna, other Odette-hit areas like the municipalities of Pilar and Dapa, and the provincial government of Surigao del Norte had also received a PLDT-Smart Ligtas Kit. 

These initiatives underscore the PLDT group’s #NoLearnerLeftBehind and #SafeandSmart advocacies, which support the Philippines to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 on Inclusive Quality Education and No. 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities.