Residents of Marawi City can now receive relevant information via text through a partnership of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications.
Smart’s SMS (short message service) platform is part of UNHCR’s initiative to provide assistance to internally displaced persons from Marawi.
UNHCR’s efforts include the issuance of identification cards to Marawi residents, in collaboration with Philippine Health Insurance Corp., and the deployment of a text broadcast service by Smart.
The ID distribution, which was piloted in Pantao Ragat, Lanao del Norte, would also be implemented in nearby municipalities.
Text updates will be relayed to the beneficiaries through Smart Infocast, a web-based platform that offers various SMS facilities.
The service will enable authorized users to disseminate information on delivery of basic services, where to avail of humanitarian assistance and schedule of relief distribution, as well as latest news and other crucial information.
It also allows registered subscribers to send their concerns or feedback to UNHCR.
The SMS service complements the IDPs’ newly issued PhilHealth ID, according to UNHCR private sector partnerships national officer Marmie C. Liquigan.
“By facilitating civil documentation, we are helping the IDPs avail of the services of the state,” Liquigan said. “Through Smart, we can provide them access to information which is crucial to them.”
Marawi residents who have fled from their homes face challenges following the loss of their civil documents. Without proof of identification, they may have difficulty availing of basic services and educational, healthcare and livelihood opportunities.
They are also at risk of harassment, exploitation or arbitrary detention, as martial law is still in effect in Mindanao.
While integration in Iligan and other key cities is a consideration for the displaced residents, most of them still want to go back to Marawi, according to Liquigan.
“What we’re trying to do is provide them informed decisions,” she said. “Regardless of how they intend to get back on their feet, UNHCR, the government and partners like Smart will be there to assist them.”
The ID distribution and Smart Infocast registration activities were implemented together with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the local government units and humanitarian aid organization Catholic Relief Services.
Smart Infocast has boosted the communications and emergency preparedness efforts of the institutions where it has been deployed, among them local government units, government agencies and other organizations.
Under the company’s #SafePH advocacy, Smart promotes the use of technology to help mitigate disaster risk in communities.