For 35-year old Mylene Dela Peña, a mother of three students, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a new challenge because her children now have shift to distance learning.

“We need gadgets. Even though the students have modules, we still need connectivity when we talk to teachers through messaging apps. We need to invest in their online learning,” she shared.

Mylene’s sari-sari store, where she sells Smart e-load, earns just enough to supplement her husband’s income and help in the household expenses. That’s why she was delighted when she found out about Smart’s Back-to-School Gadget Sale, where she was able to buy a smartphone at a discounted rate.

“We were able to get our money’s worth and more,” she said.

Together with different device partner stores and distributors all over the country, Smart Communications, Inc. offered discounted rates on smartphones, laptops, and tablets bundled with Smart Bro LTE Pocket Wi-Fi and other freebies during the gadget sale.  

“We want to be able to offer affordable device bundles to help them cope with the demands of online learning in the new normal,” said Alex O. Caeg, SVP and Head of Consumer Sales and Distribution at PLDT and Smart. “This is also part of Smart’s efforts to make 4G phones and gadgets more accessible to students, their teachers, and to their parents as well. With this, our subscribers get to enjoy the superior customer experience associated with Smart’s fastest LTE network in the country,” he added.

Teacher Jay Quirante with his new smartphone from Smart’s Back-to-School gadget sale.

This also rang true for Jay Quirante, a senior high school teacher in Quezon City, who was also one of those who were able to take advantage of the deals during the sale. He observed that there are some students who really cannot afford to go to online classes due to financial problems that were made worse because of the pandemic. Quirante shared that this promo could really help students, as well as teachers. 

“There were big discounts and freebies. I thank Smart for supporting the education of students through these gadget promos and programs,” he said. 

To date, Smart LTE service is available in 93% of the country’s cities and municipalities and serves 95% of the population.  The stepped-up rollout of Smart LTE is part of PLDT and Smart's sustained investments in the nationwide network rollout. The country’s largest and only integrated telecoms and digital services provider, PLDT's target capital expenditures for 2020 is expected to reach about Php70 billion.

For more information, visit www.smart.com.ph.