MVP Group gears up for Typhoon Rolly

  The MVP Group of Companies is gearing up for the onslaught of Typhoon Rolly. Manuel V. Pangilinan, in a tweet last Saturday, committed that the network operations centers for telco, power, and tollways will be operational and manned 24 hours, and that the Group has mobilized its foundations to do relief and medical work in the wake of Typhoon Rolly.

"Our restoration teams from PLDT-Smart and Meralco are also on alert," Pangilinan said.

Meralco Spokesperson and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said measures are now in place to mitigate the impact of the typhoon. Its personnel are also now on standby to immediately respond to possible power outages.

PLDT-Smart FVP & Group Head of Corporate Communications Cathy Yang said the telcos have prepositioned their personnel, network equipment and resources to ensure the resilience of their services. PLDT-Smart also assured customers of quick restoration of communication in areas that will be impacted by the typhoon.

Smart Communications has also launched the Smart Store on Wheels to provide free calls, free Wi-Fi connection, and free charging to areas that are on the path of the typhoon. They will be deployed in the following locations: 

• Aurora
• Bataan
• Bicol
• Bulacan
• Pampanga
• Tarlac
• Zambales 

The MVP Group urges the public to prepare, remain vigilant, and to stay informed on updates about Typhoon Rolly. Likewise, it reminds everyone to keep all channels of communication open and ready by ensuring mobile phones, laptops, radios, and other gadgets are fully charged.

LRMC partners with Binhi English Literacy Foundation for learning program

In keeping with its advocacy of supporting nation-building through various initiatives, the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) has announced a new partnership with Binhi English Literacy Foundation, a non-profit and non-governmental organization, to aid struggling children in learning to read and write.

Through the partnership with Binhi Foundation, LRMC is adopting a Grade 2 class from Marcelo Marcela Elementary School in Pasay City and supporting the Beginning Reading Program for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years. The school is located close to the LRT-1 EDSA station. The Beginning Reading Program is an entire learning program for six (6) months designed to support children struggling to read and write at a relatively advanced age. The program aims to keep the children in school by improving their literacy skills, to foster a love for reading and improve comprehension skills, and to inculcate a love for learning that will inspire them to do better in school and subsequently improve their economic situation. The components of the curriculum include teaching tools (modules, activity sheets, various school supplies, instructional USB flash drive); assessments (pre-test, mid-test, post-test); monitoring of the students; inputs on lesson plans; evaluation and recommendation. It has also been modified and maximized for the online and modular learning setup required by the Department of Education given the pandemic situation. “This English literacy support is a greatly-needed intervention program for our struggling readers. The effective strategies and learning kits provided by Binhi and funded by LRMC will surely bring the pupils’ much-sought enhancement in their English and reading skills,” said Marcelo Marcela Elementary School Principal Norma P. Jamon.

Binhi English Literacy Foundation is an NGO founded in 2008 to help out-of-school children and students who are at risk of not completing their primary education due to absence of learning support in their homes and communities. Inspired by PRATHAM, an NGO in India which was responsible for helping more than 21 million underprivileged children, Binhi designed an intervention tool to improve reading and comprehension skills to achieve its vision of “Every Filipino Child in school and learning well.” LRMC is a staunch supporter of education, spearheading previous initiatives such as the partnership with the PLDT-Smart Foundation’s Gabay Guro program in celebration of Teacher’s Month every year.