The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has ordered the immediate repair and restoration of telecommunication services in areas affected by Typhoon “Rolly.”
In a memorandum signed by Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba on Sunday, the NTC directed all public telecommunication entities to “fast track the repair and restoration of telecommunication services in the affected service areas.”
“The need for communication is now more urgent than ever for the resumption of business transactions, distance learning, and most importantly, in order to aid government rescue and recovery operations,” NTC said.
Telco entities were also tasked to report to NTC every six hours on their ongoing restoration activities and submit a “timeline for the full restoration of service.”
At least seven people were killed as Typhoon Rolly hammered the Philippines on Sunday, destroying infrastructure, flooding villages and sending thousands of people fleeing their homes.
Catanduanes, the one of the hardest hit by the typhoon, had as much as 90 percent of its total infrastructure partially or totally damaged, according to a partial assessment by the Philippine National Police.