Smart shares disaster preparedness programs to Bangladesh
PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications recently welcomed delegates from Bangladesh who visited the country recently to know more about best practices in disaster risk management.
Through the United Nations Office for Coordinating Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA), Bangladeshi representatives from government and international aid organizations visited Smart’s headquarters in Makati City to learn about the company’s corporate social responsibility programs and disaster preparedness initiatives.
Smart is part of UNOCHA’s Community of Practice, which coordinates and strengthens capacities of humanitarian organizations undertaking various levels of community engagement. Part of the COP’s function is to facilitate partnerships in emergency response preparedness and emergency response.
During the meeting, Smart public affairs head Ramon Isberto and community partnerships senior manager Nova Concepcion discussed the company’s various disaster preparedness initiatives, such as the Batingaw emergency app; the Infocast SMS advisory platform; the TNT Tropang Ready youth disaster preparedness caravan; and Smart’s Emergency Cell Broadcast System (eCBS), among other initiatives under its #SafePH advocacy.
“Communications is vital in any emergency situation,” Smart public affairs head Ramon Isberto told the delegates. “As a telecommunications company, our primary job is to keep the network running so that we can provide continu- ous emergency communications services. We’ve been doing that by providing free calls and charging, among other services, as part of immediate response during calamities.”
In Bangladesh, the COP, also known as Shongjog, is chaired by Department for Disaster Management deputy director Rahima Akter, who said their visit would help them in involving the private sector in disaster preparedness and response efforts. Another participant during the learning visit, Mohammad Iqbal Hossain of BBC Media Action Bangladesh, said they “learned a lot from the discussions and the presentation.”