In Kapangan, Benguet, every family makes it home

Erick Abangley, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer II of Kapangan, Benguet.

Every storm used to bring uncertainty in the mountainous municipality of Kapangan, Benguet. It now contains evidence of the power of readiness.

Risk is nothing new in Kapangan, which is surrounded by terraced farms and rough terrain. For a long time, landslides caused by heavy rains, frequent earthquakes, and unexpected road closures have threatened to cut off access to services, aid, and life-saving information, isolating entire barangays. For many years, delivering warnings to isolated communities, particularly those in signal "dead spots," required actual travel. When it mattered most, crucial time was frequently lost.

Today, that reality has changed.

Erick Abangley, Kapangan's Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, is at the center of this change. He has personally witnessed how improved communication can transform vulnerability into resilience. In 2024, their town was among the first to receive the PLDT and Smart Ligtas Kit.

“Consistent na nag-zero casualty or zero dead sa amin. Kasi at least mayroon kami yung Ligtas Kit, malaking tulong na yan para ma-meet natin yung zero casualty [rate] sa aming bayan. Yung unang-una po kasi wala po kami ng hotline noon. Kaya noong nakita namin at least nabigyan kami ng hotline. Yun ang mostly ginagamit namin for reporting, data gathering, and coordination with the barangays. Number one yung communication namin, coordination with the barangays, implementing our preemptive enforced evacuation, at yung mga megaphone for giving warnings sa community. Bago dumating yung bagyo, dapat tayo ay nakapaghanda na. Alamin natin kung saan yung mga hazard or risk areas.” ~Erick Abangley, Kapangan’s Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer

An all-in-one emergency communications solution, the PLDT and Smart Ligtas Kit is made to offer dependable connectivity during emergencies. Megaphones, crank radios, whistles, flashlights, portable power stations, solar panels, and the mobile phone that came with the Ligtas Kit served as the Kapangan local DRRMO's dedicated hotline. Responders were able to maintain operations even in the event of power outages or infrastructure disruptions, coordinate swiftly, and issue timely warnings. As part of PLDT and Smart's larger #KonnektedforResilience advocacy, the Ligtas Kit and its integrated emergency communications training module for beneficiaries encourage a culture of readiness and resilience prior to, during, and following disasters.

To date, 75 Ligtas Kits have been deployed nationwide—from Batanes to Pag-asa Island to Jolo—giving communities the tools and the training they need to stay prepared and resilient.

 

For Kapangan, the shift began with something simple yet transformative: connection.

Communication has improved in speed, organization, and dependability thanks to the Ligtas Kit's support for the municipality's Emergency Operations Center. Barangays receive warnings and advisories sooner, allowing for faster response and coordination. This has made a significant impact for communities that were previously cut off by topography and signal gaps.

Preparedness, too, has taken on new urgency.

Every year, Kapangan still has a number of storms, and landslides are a persistent risk. However, due to improved barangay coordination, proactive measures—like early warning systems and preemptive enforced evacuations—are now implemented more effectively.

The kit's communication tools help ensure that no community is left behind, and its dependable power sources also guarantee that operations continue during outages.

Beyond the equipment, however, Kapangan's success stems from a common resilient mindset.

According to him, community awareness, preparation, and involvement are the first steps toward resilience long before a storm hits.

By working together, Kapangan was able to change from being a high-risk municipality to one that continuously protects its residents, demonstrating that the correct systems can alter the course of disasters.

Beyond connectivity, PLDT and Smart continue to assist local governments nationwide in enhancing preparedness for disasters.

“Through solutions like the Ligtas Kit, we empower communities with critical communication capabilities that enable faster response and better coordination in times of crisis. We remain committed to supporting efforts that help build a safer and more resilient Philippines.” ~Roby Alampay, FVP and Head, Public Engagement Group at PLDT and Smart

Kapangan's story serves as a subtle but potent reminder that people working together—prepared, informed, and ready to act—are just as important to building resilience as infrastructure and technology.

Furthermore, resilience in this storm-prone town entails more than just surviving calamities; it also entails ensuring that everyone returns home each and every time.

PLDT, Smart mark 20th year with SWEEP, inspiring youth on tech and innovation

SWEEP partner schools participate in the opening activity during the 20th anniversary celebration.

Demonstrating its commitment towards academic and professional excellence, the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program or SWEEP, the first and longest-running industry-academe linkage in the Philippines, is now on its 20th year. 

 

“When we launched SWEEP or the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program in 2003, our dream was to make bold changes in the industry, by promoting a culture of innovation in schools and by encouraging more Filipino students to get into STEM and ICT-related courses.” ~Cathy Yap-Yang, FVP and Head of Group Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart

PLDT-Smart SWEEP celebrates its 20th year with partner schools from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao

SWEEP has become an avenue for long-term learning and discovery about technology as a catalyst for growth and development among the youth. 

 

“We continue to work closely with the country’s leading colleges and universities. We have likewise succeeded in producing industry-ready graduates to meet the increasingly digital demands of our customers, our communities, and our country.” ~Mr. Roderick S. Santiago, Head of Network at PLDT and Smart

Mr. Roderick S. Santiago, Head of Network at PLDT and Smart

SWEEP has become an avenue for long-term learning and discovery about technology as a catalyst for growth and development among the youth. 

   

“We believe that continuous learning and exposure to emerging technologies, through SWEEP, can equip the youth towards finding innovative solutions that can help create positive impact for present and future generations.” ~Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management Team at PLDT and Smart 

Network Head Roderick Santiago and Stakeholder Management Head Stephanie Orlino of PLDT and Smart, joined by SWEEP alumnus and TimeFree Innovations CEO Chino Atilano, share how SWEEP changed lives in the last two decades

To officially celebrate SWEEP’s two decades and the program’s milestones, the PLDT Group has just concluded a learning and networking summit called SWEEP@20 and beyond, for its partner schools this month.    

  

Providing a peek into the future, the PLDT Group has discussed more about how 5G, AI or artificial intelligence, XR or extended reality, cloud computing, and advanced networks can help create a sustainable and more inclusive world for all Filipinos and leave no one behind. 

Mr. Chino Atilano, SWEEP alumnus and CEO of TimeFree Innovations, an enterprise software company

Through the years, the PLDT Group has underscored the value of inclusive learning and industry-academe linkages like SWEEP, particularly to promote STEM education in the country. This commitment also supports UNSDG #4: Quality Education and is aligned with the vision of the Philippine Government-mandated Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC). As one of the founding members under the Digital Infrastructure pillar of PSAC, PLDT aims to help narrow the digital divide by creating more STEM experts and upskilling more Filipinos toward jobs of the future. 

About PLDT

PLDT is the Philippines' largest fully integrated telco company. Through its principal business groups — from fixed line to wireless — PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines’ most extensive fiber optic backbone, and fixed line and cellular networks. 

 

PLDT is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE:TEL) and its American Depositary Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:PHI). PLDT has one of the largest market capitalizations among Philippine — listed companies.

Further information can be obtained by visiting www.pldt.com 

About Smart

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is a wholly-owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT, Inc., the Philippines’ largest and only integrated telecommunications company. Smart serves approximately 96% of the country’s cities and municipalities with its combined 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G network*, providing mobile communications services, high-speed internet connectivity, and access to digital services and content to over 71.8 million Filipinos*, supporting the country’s growing digital economy, and providing the best customer experience for an increasingly digital Filipino lifestyle.

PLDT, Smart help PBEd upskill almost 6,000 youth in digital skills, boosting employability

Leading telco network PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications joined Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) in preparing around 6,000 youth trainees for jobs of the future under the organization’s JobsNext program.  

“Together with PBEd, PLDT and Smart are working closely with local government units across the country to equip the youth with skills that will make them more attractive to potential employers.” ~Cathy Yang, FVP and Head of Group Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart

JobsNext is implemented in seven areas: Laguna, Quezon City and Sorsogon in Luzon; Eastern Samar, Samar province and Negros Occidental in the Visayas; and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao. To support local government units in conducting virtual trainings, PLDT has deployed 100 Home WiFi units while Smart has also dispatched 100 prepaid Pocket WiFi devices to these areas.  

“As workplaces become increasingly technology-driven, it is important to ensure that our young people have the right tools to adapt and succeed in their chosen careers. JobsNext is committed to providing our youth with the training and resources they need to be future-ready.” ~Justine Raagas, PBEd Executive Director

The training program highlights development of foundational skills that cover digital literacy and basic technology concepts, advanced Information Technology (Training) learning tracks, and specialized training on cloud and assistive technologies.  

A World Bank report on the Philippine Job Market released this year noted that the COVID-19 pandemic made it more challenging for the Filipino youth to enter the labor market. The multilateral lender urged the Philippine government to provide targeted support to young Filipinos by actively incorporating green and digital areas in skills development programs. The World Bank said that surveys indicate that the Philippine workforce lags its regional peers in foundational digital skills.  

Based on the Labor Department’s regional consultations, most of the emerging opportunities will come from the Green, I.T. and Platform, and Creative industries. The agency sees the IT-BPM sector growing into a USD 59-billion industry in the next three years, opening more than a million new direct jobs.  

Support for the JobsNext program aligns with PLDT and Smart’s aspiration to help produce industry-ready graduates to meet the increasingly digital demands of industries. This also underscores the PLDT group’s close collaboration with the national government, through the Digital Infrastructure pillar of the Private Sector Advisory Council or PSAC. As a PSAC founding member, PLDT’s initiatives that connect, digitize, and empower Filipinos and drive the country's economic ambitions are perfectly aligned with the government’s key digitalization efforts.