MANILA -  Telcos on Wednesday said they are responding to the needs of communities affected by the onslaught of tropical storm Kristine, especially in the Bicol region.

PLDT and Smart personnel have provided refuge for families residing around the Daet Cable Landing Station in Camarines Norte, PLDT said in a statement.

At least 21 families are now safely settled inside the facility, as they wait for flood waters in their communities to recede, the telco said. The PLDT-Smart Foundation is also preparing 4,000 relief packs for affected communities in North Luzon and the Bicol Region, to be distributed in partnership with the Alagang Kapatid Foundation, the company added.

“We have also prepositioned personnel, equipment, and resources to ensure the resilience and availability of network services. We are prepared to work closely with local government units, provincial and municipal information agencies, as well as local disaster risk reduction and management offices to ensure continuous connectivity and the safety of all,” said Cathy Yang, FVP and Group Head for Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom said its network facilities in areas on the path of the storm are ready with generators and batteries to ensure connectivity services despite potential commercial power outages due to the weather system.

"Globe’s technical and support personnel have also been prepositioned along with critical supplies in case immediate response is needed in areas that may be affected by the storm," the Ayala-led telco said.

Libreng Tawag, Libreng Charging and Libreng WiFi Services are also ready to be deployed in areas where the storm may cause severe power and service outages.

“In case factors outside our control, such as commercial power outages due to the storm, affect our facilities, our personnel are at hand to undertake immediate restoration work,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer.