By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Emphasizing the importance of connectivity in disaster response and relief operations, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) issued updates on the restoration of cellular and internet connectivity in Typhoon Opong-ravaged Masbate and quake-devastated Cebu.
At the Palace press briefing on Tuesday, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda tackled the progress of telecommunications companies in restoring their services to the calamity-affected island provinces.
As of Monday afternoon, Globe and DITO were able to fully restore their services in Masbate, while Smart’s progress on restoring its services in the island province pegged at 77%. Likewise, Globe and DITO have fully restored their services in Cebu, with Smart being able to restore 98% of its services in the Visayan island province.
Secretary Aguda, likewise, praised the initiatives of these telecommunication companies, which ensured residents in Cebu are able to contact their loved ones and keep their devices topped up while the restoration of power and connectivity services were underway.
Aguda praised the communication firms, “In true bayanihan spirit, si Globe, TM, PLDT, Smart, at Converge, nagbigay po ng mga free charging stations. At ‘yong iba diyan, nagbigay ng free services. Galak na galak po kami sa pagresponde po nila, at dinamayan po nila ang ating mga kababayan.”
He added, noting SpaceX’s disaster response efforts in Masbate, “Nung nagkaroon po ng problema sa Masbate, tumawag po tayo sa international emergency response ng SpaceX. Nagpadala po sila ng 100 Starlink units—habang ang ibang mga poste ay nakababa, 100 Starlink units po ang dineploy [sa mga apektadong lugar].”
The DICT chief moreover reiterated President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s call on telecommunication companies to relocate their fiber optic cables underground to ensure connectivity amid calamities, citing such as a move towards creating resilient infrastructure.
He wrapped up his discussion by noting the agency’s progress on improving domestic online content moderation, spearheading an anti-scam campaign for the upcoming Yuletide festivities, and the upcoming launch of the Blacklist Monitoring Dashboard on October 17.
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