SPURRING THE ECONOMY IN THE BARANGAY

As Globe Telecom launches its cell site in Barangay Guba, Cebu City, a company official says business activity is now expected to thrive

For an official of a telecommunications company, connectivity can improve economic activity of a far-flung area.

Globe Telecom director for external affairs for Visayas and Mindanao Patrick Gloria said the growth of subscribers was one of the reasons that they are putting up more cell sites.

“If you don’t put up a cell site, the barangay can’t grow. If you put up one, there is rapid growth because when you provide internet access, the world becomes smaller,” Gloria said on Saturday, Jan. 12, at the launch of their new cell site in Barangay Guba, Cebu City, a mountain village.

He said access to the internet, which leads to communication among people, is a driving force of businesses in a barangay.

“Deliveries and supplies will have a delay if you don’t have any accessible communication. Now, if you have signal, you can contact immediately,” he said.

Before, Gloria said residents needed to get out of their homes to catch a signal for their phones.

Now, they can make calls and send text messages anywhere inside their houses.

He said that as Globe rolls out more cell sites, they want the residents of the barangay to benefit from it.

“We can put up loading stations here. They could also sell SIM cards and negotiate postpaid plans where they have a commission. We can teach them how to become responsible internet users because we have to help out the community before anything else,” he said.

Last Saturday, Jan. 12, Globe Telecom launched another cell site in Barangay Guba in Cebu City.

Last January 8, they also activated a temporary cell site in Barangay Bonbon.

“There’s a livelihood component for the residents,” he said.

Gloria said that with internet access, residents can also opt to delve on home-based jobs and merchandising.

The residents could also help in looking out for cable thieves that disrupt signals by stealing wires and selling the copper, he said.

“If they see someone stealing our cable lines, they could tip us and we give them a reward if we manage to catch the thief,” Gloria added.

Aside from the two cell sites Globe deployed in barangays Bonbon and Guba, the company targets to put up more towers in Barangays Tabunan, Sirao and Babag. /