Sturdy Isabela cell site enabled folk to get help

PALANAN, Isabela-- A cell site of mobile phone service provider Smart Communications here was bent 30 degrees by typhoon “Juan” but remains operational.

The typhoon, with winds of 260 kilometers per hour, made landfall in the province of Isabela last Monday.

The battered cell site is the sole provider of signal in the town of Palanan.

“The cell site is still working. As of Thursday, our generator set can still provide power to the cell site for several more days. We are working out how to source additional diesel for the genset,” said James Tajon, Smart Network and Platforms Services Division senior supervisor.

Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said that the towns of Palanan, Divilacan, and Maconacon are impassable to heavy vehicles and can only be reached by air and an 18-hour sea travel via Aparri, Cagayan.
Smart engineers are working on transporting equipment for the repair of the cell site.

In preparation for the coming typhoon, Smart had deployed engineers in strategic cell sites and network facilities to repair any damage caused by the typhoon.

Smart has maintained mobile phone signal in Ilagan, Isabela and Southern Tuguegarao.

It has set up Libreng Tawag centers in several affected areas, including Baguio City, Nueva Vizcaya, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cagayan, Pangasinan, Isabela, Vigan, Candon, Bangued, Abra, Sta. Catalina, Ilocos Sur, Laoag City, and Nancayasan, Urdaneta City.