The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) formed a task force to address downed telecommunications lines in areas affected by Typhoon "Odette."
"After the typhoon passed, the communications were badly hit, primarily because the typhoon also affected the fiber transmission lines of towers. Ang tinamaan po rito ay (The typhoon hit) fibers that connect the tower from each other," DICT Acting Secretary Emmanuel Caintic said during the Laging Handa briefing on Tuesday, Dec. 28.
Caintic noted that most parts of Mindanao were affected by the sudden lost of telecommunication signals.
"Immediately after we created Task Force Odette. We asked Undersecretary Alan Silor, our head of the Emergency Communications to head the team and we also asked our directors from various regions to plan the logistics," he added.
Caintic said the total loss of communication to the places was "so disruptive" that the agency had to create a two-stage approach of the restoration and augmentation, including the immediate restoration of emergency telecommunications for those involved in the relief efforts.
"The DICT help transport their people and equipment to the places," he added.
The DICT also established KonekTawag Centers in typhoon-affected areas which provide free texts and call for local to connect with their loved ones.