Kickstarts CSR program of providing free DITO service to 3,000 VisMin frontliners in cooperation with LGUs
In an unprecedented move, DITO Telecommunity Corporation, the country’s third major player in the telecommunications industry, heralded its entry into the market by announcing that it will be providing free call and text as well as broadband services to 3,000 frontliners in ten areas in Visayas and Mindanao with the help of the local government units (LGUs) as a way of strengthening its commitment of nation-building and partnership with the Filipino people.
This announcement, capped by a ceremonial turnover to Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte Carpio and Davao City Vice-Mayor Sebastian Duterte as 300 frontliners of the City were named as the first beneficiaries out of the 3,000 targeted frontliners, became the highlight of the commercial launch virtual press conference held last March 8, 2021.
The momentous yet simple ceremony was participated in by key DITO executives Dennis A. Uy, Chairman and CEO; Retired Major General Rodolfo Santiago, Chief Technology Officer (CTO); and Atty. Adel Tamano, Chief Administrative Officer; with special messages from Secretary Gregorio Honasan II of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
An insurmountable task
In his opening statement DITO Chief Technology Officer, Retired Major General Rodolfo Santiago recounted how at the beginning critics of the initiative said that building a network in more than a year was a fool’s errand, that it was bound to fail, that it simply could not be done, especially as the global pandemic hit at a crucial juncture in the network rollout.
However just a few weeks before the commercial launch, DITO’s services far exceeded the required benchmarks of the first government-mandated audit. The audit findings showed that DITO demonstrated an average speed of 85.9 Mbps for 4G and 507.5 Mbps for 5G with a population coverage of more than 37%, important indicators that point to the brand’s readiness to fulfill its mandate of bringing world-class connectivity to every Filipino.
Not resting on this achievement, the DITO CTO stressed, “As we begin our commercial launch, all I can say is that there is more work to be done and together, we will succeed and make a difference in transforming the landscape of Philippine telecommunications.”
Public and private cooperation: a triumph of the Filipino people
Messages from the two main regulating bodies recognized the spirit of partnership that DITO has demonstrated to become a true partner in nation-building and in bringing better access to communications technology to the Filipino people.
DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II reiterated the importance of having the telecommunications industry to be at parity with the rest of the world, in terms of technology, and how the entry of DITO through a transparent and fair bidding has spurred an increase in investments and infrastructure spending in the telecom sector that in the long term will benefit the entire nation.
NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, further stressed that the successful launch of DITO is an example of how cooperation, and active collaboration of government and private corporations, will be key to bring about true recovery headed by advancements in the realm of communications and connectivity, and that for him is a triumph of the Filipino people.
Nation-building as the true motivation of the country’s third major player
In his statement, Atty. Adel Tamano, DITO Chief Administrative Officer, one of the pioneers of DITO recalled how it all began.
“DITO was born out of a spirit of nation-building.”
Atty. Tamano said that the rationale for a third telco was to serve the underserved and to provide Filipinos with a better option, a wiser choice. He further recalled that our national leaders believed that without the right ICT infrastructure, without real competition, the Philippines will never reach its full potential.
“This is the genesis of this project, the origins of why DITO was born. This our why and DITO’s DNA.”
He ended by saying, “We are here to serve our consumers, to provide world-class telecommunications services to Filipinos, in short, to do whatever it takes, whatever “diskarte” that we need to do, to deliver our promise of weaving Filipino communities together with stronger and better connectivity.
And the chief administrative officer tied it all in as to the primary reason why instead of a big launch, DITO’s first commercial act is one that demonstrates the commitment of DITO to build the nation — a provision of free service to 3,000 Filipino frontliners.
DITO na tayo
“In the following weeks you will see us rise in various areas of the country. But today, March 8, we first give back to where it all began.”
In this sentimental yet powerful statement, Dennis A. Uy, the chairman and CEO of DITO was able to answer the questions in the minds of people as to why VisMin, and when DITO services will reach Luzon and the National Capital Region in spite of the telco’s national network rollout.
To close the event, the chairman and CEO had this to say referring to this unparalleled launch of paying it forward, “With this gesture, as a partner in nation-building, we send the message to the people of the Philippines wherever they may be that DITO is more than just a telco. We are here to serve, and, in this manner, we want the entire country to know na “DITO NA KAMI, DITO NA TAYO and magkita-kita tayo diyan very soon.”
For more information on the points of sale, the attractive welcome plan and other details, please visit the official Facebook page of DITO at www.facebook.com/DITOphofficial or the website at www.dito.ph.
