By Charlotte Furigay and Verna Barrozo
GLOBE Telecom Inc. has partnered with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to provide free mobile services in Marawi City.
Under the partnership, the telecom provider will give 15 days of free text to all networks and calls to Globe and TM to its customers in Marawi City starting June 22. The promo will be disseminated through text within the next few days, Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said.
Asked why this action is only done now considering the war in Marawi started a month ago, Cu admitted they could have done it earlier, but the positive is they are already offering it.
Information Secretary Rodolfo A. Salalima said this is not an isolated act of civil responsibility because telecommunication companies have been doing this every time natural disasters hit the Philippines.
“Information and communication are critical in times of crisis and must be available to the public by all means. We are glad to be in the position to bring together Globe and the AFP to make this endeavor possible, which we hope would help address the communication requirements of residents and personnel assigned in Marawi as they work on the resolution of the crisis in the area,” Salalima said. Currently, there are 300 to 500 Marawi residents trapped within the city without any contact outside the battle zone.
Government troops are stationed in Marawi and are engaged in a sporadic monthlong firefight with the Maute terrorist group.