Smart, Sun relief efforts for Yolanda survivors continue

CEBU, Philippines - Mobile leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc. (DMPI), through its mobile brand Sun Cellular, continues to provide vital public service and relief assistance in Central Visayas and in other areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda.

Aside from expediting the restoration of network services in the hard-hit regions, Smart has been engaged in relief activities to address the basic needs of the affected families as well as provide vital support to various local government units that provide humanitarian assistance to Yolanda survivors.

To date, Smart and its partner organizations have mobilized hundreds of employees and volunteers to repack and deliver close to 7,000 relief packs to affected communities in Ormoc and Dulag in Leyte, San Dionisio, Estancia and Concepcion in Iloilo, Bogo, Medellin, Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island in Cebu, and several towns in Aklan, Capiz, and Antique.

These relief packs contain basic food items, hygiene kits, and used clothes that can immediately be used by the survivors. In towns with no supply of potable water, Smart has also provided Life Straw kits that can quickly convert any liquid, no matter how suspect or murky, into safe drinking water.

To augment the existing Libreng Tawag services in several  typhoon-hit areas in the Visayas, Smart, Sun Cellular and Talk ‘N Text has provided free 25 all-network texts and 3 international SMS to subscribers in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Leyte, Northern Cebu, Palawan and Samar from November 13 to 17, with the addition of Biliran and Iloilo when the offer was renewed from November 20 to 24.

Aside from this, Smart has distributed 250,000 SIM packs in various areas in Central Visayas, Palawan, and Metro Manila for use by families affected by the storm to reach out to their relatives here and abroad.

Smart has also partnered with social networking site Twitter to provide free updates via SMS to subscribers in badly-hit areas. Through the free offer, users were able to receive updates from relevant relief and government agencies they chose to follow and send Twitter updates via SMS for free. 

Smart, through its subsidiary Smart Broadband, Inc. (Smart Bro), staged a concert for a cause in Davao with endorsers Rico Blanco and Barbie Almalbis for the benefit of Yolanda survivors. Concert attendees were able to drop off their donations at the concert venue and bid on some premium items previously owned by the rock icons, including Barbie’s customized guitar, Rico’s limited-edition shirts and Raimund Marasigan’s stylish jacket.

Proceeds of the benefit concert, including the cash gathered from the auction, were remitted to TV5’s Alagang Kapatid Foundation and will go toward its relief and rebuilding efforts in the Visayas. (FREEMAN)