The country’s largest telecom companies on Monday said mission-critical manpower and equipment as well as their respective networks stand at the ready for whatever Typhoon Egay brings.
Globe Telecom Inc. said it has placed technical and support personnel, as well as critical supplies, in areas where the storm is expected to pass.
The Ayala-led telco also said their facilities are equipped with generators and alternative power sources to ensure power supply and prevent commercial power outages from affecting the delivery of connectivity services.
Globe is also on standby to deploy its Libreng Tawag, Libreng Charging and Libreng WiFi services in areas where the storm may cause power and service outages.
“We have prepared our network, facilities and personnel to minimize the potential impact of Typhoon Egay and prevent service disruptions. We stand ready to support our customers who may be affected by this typhoon,” said Yoly Crisanto, chief sustainability and corporate communications officer, Globe Group.
Globe calls on residents in areas where Egay is expected to pass to make their own preparations, including storing food, water and medicine, readying first aid kits, emergency light sources and batteries, and charging their mobile devices.
PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is similarly on standby with its own mission-critical manpower and equipment already pre-positioned in areas along the route seen taken by Egay which has now intensified into a typhoon.
“We are continuously monitoring the current situation due to typhoon ‘Egay’ and any impact it may have as it maintains its strength over Philippine seas. Our emergency operations teams and network satellite offices have been preparing since the first-issued weather advisory,” said Cathy Yang, first vice president and head of Group Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart.
According to PAGASA forecast, Typhoon ‘Egay’ may even intensify into a super typhoon by late Tuesday evening or Wednesday afternoon. It is also expected to make landfall in the Babuyan Islands and Batanes in the same timeframe and exit the Philippine area of responsibility around Thursday.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 has been raised over the southeastern portion of Isabela and northeastern portion of Catanduanes. With the shift of the typhoon’s footprint, the forecast is that of wind signal raised as high as TCWS No. 4 or 5.
“PLDT and Smart will deploy additional equipment and personnel as necessary while we continue our close coordination with local authorities and our teams on the ground. We want to assure our customers that we are working around the clock to provide stable connectivity despite the typhoon. We urge everyone to take necessary precaution and heed the alerts and warnings of local governments and disaster response authorities,” Yang said.
