POWERED BY SMART. Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President and CEO Manuel R. Gaerlan (3rd from right) led the launching of the Smart Infocast system held at the Clark Visitor’s Center. He was joined by PLDT Clarktel President Aniceto M. Franco III (4th from left), Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) Center Head/AVP Community Solutions & Business Dev’t Pedro Luis A. De Guzman (3rd from left), Smart Center Head/AVP for Regional Customer Dev’t Leonides G. Nivado (2nd from right), and PLDT Clarktel Chief Operations Officer Joselito C. Mercado (rightmost). Also in the photo are CDC Vice President for Engineering Service Group Dennis C. Legaspi (rightmost, back row), Smart Center Head/AVP Stakeholder Management Jose Felicisimo L. Rosete (2nd from right, back row), Smart Community Solutions & Business Dev’t Manager Avelino D. Gamboa (2nd from left), and Smart Community Consultant Elainne B. De Los Santos (leftmost). (CDC-CD Photo)
CLARK FREEPORT— The Clark Development Corporation (CDC) in partnership with PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) recently conducted the ceremonial awarding and turnover of the ‘Infocast’ system in this Freeport.
CDC President and CEO Manuel R. Gaerlan led a sample Infocast Broadcast to officially launch the system in the Clark Visitor’s Center.
During the activity, Gaerlan emphasized the importance of communicating urgent messages and announcements to workers and locators in the Freeport.
“Congratulations and thank you for this innovation. This is indeed a very useful technology and software because we will be able to communicate with our stakeholders here in Clark. In terms of safety, in terms of information dissemination, and even promotion of Clark as an investment and tourism destination,” he said.
Apart from disseminating information, the new system is seen to improve communication in the entire Freeport.
“This launching of the Smart Infocast is another step towards the improvement of communications here in the Clark Freeport Zone. We always set the pace, as much as possible we compete with the whole world and we keep abreast as far as information and technology is concerned,” Gaerlan added.
PLDT and Smart representatives graced the said activity including Smart Head/AVP Community Solutions and Business Development Pedro Luis A. De Guzman, Center Head/AVP Stakeholder Management Jose Felicisimo L. Rosete, Center Head/AVP Regional Customer Development Leonides G. Nivado, PLDT Clarktel President Aniceto M. Franco III, PLDT Clarktel Chief Operations Officer Joselito C. Mercado, and other PLDT and Smart managers, officers, and representatives from distributors in the region.
From the CDC side, Gaerlan was joined by CDC Vice President for Engineering Services Group Dennis C. Legaspi, CDC Vice President for Legal Affairs Group Atty. Josep Jepri Miranda, CDC Communications Division Manager Eric V. Jimenez, CDC Tourism Promotions Division Manager Noemi B. Julian, and other assistant managers and staff.
For his part, Franco expressed his elation with the launching of the newest project in Clark.
“We’re here to fulfill our commitment to help improve the communications and we’re very happy that we are here today, this is another milestone for us to be able to help the Clark community – and for CDC to be able to communicate with different locators and different stakeholders here in Clark”, Franco said.
Smart Infocast is a text message broadcast solution that can send out several SMS alerts. It can also deliver immediate messages to a large number of predetermined recipients.
PLDT and Smart are leveraging their core businesses and infrastructure to act as enablers, especially in communities with the greatest need. Key initiatives of PLDT and Smart demonstrate the application of ICT for development, in support of a company-wide advocacy to promote digital inclusion.
