More Filipino communities are benefiting from the disaster-resilience initiatives of PLDT and Smart Communications.

Two municipalities in the province of Aurora, Casiguran and Dingalan, each received a Ligtas Kit from PLDT and Smart, strengthening their respective emergency preparedness, response, and recovery programs through sustainable and inclusive communication technology.

"Communication is now considered a lifeline and has become as essential as food and water in times of disasters. To date, we have distributed PLDT and Smart Ligtas Kits to more than 30 cities and municipalities nationwide," said Cathy Yang, First Vice President and Head of Group Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart.

Casiguran and Dingalan are coastal municipalities in the Eastern part of Luzon with the Philippine Sea right beside them. Apart from the typhoons that enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility affecting Aurora, both towns had also gone through destructive earthquakes in the last two decades.

"Typhoons regularly occur in Dingalan, which led us to incorporating learnings from these experiences into our comprehensive development, land use, and disaster preparedness and contingency plans. All were properly consulted with various sectors and organizations. We aim for an inclusive participation of our communities by soliciting their recommendations for our local government projects, especially for disaster preparedness and response," said Mayor Shierwin Taay of Dingalan, Aurora.