Dear Smart Communications — Why Is Eastern Samar Your Lowest Priority for Restored Coverage?

Smart Communications has provided updates concerning its recovery efforts since Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that leave open one question that seems to be an imponderable. Why are you ignoring Eastern Samar?

Smart has announced that it has restored coverage as follows:

Mobile coverage is fully restored in cities and municipalities of Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras, Negros Oriental and Southern Leyte, according to PLDT. [PLDT owns Smart Communications]

Network service in Northern Samar is 95 percent up, Negros Occidental at 94 percent, Iloilo at 93 percent, Aklan at 89 percent, Samar at 86 percent, Antique at 78 percent, Capiz 71 percent, Leyte at 56 percent, Biliran at 38 percent and Eastern Samar at 24 percent.

Why is Eastern Samar at 24% when everywhere else is much higher?

In their press, Smart has talked about how hard it is to get to some areas. Eastern Samar?

Well, for starters, the map at the top of this post show’s Smart’s Eastern Samar coverage when it is at 100%.  You can view it interactively here. 

Not exactly a lot of coverage.

As near as I can tell, 24% means they have restored coverage in Guiuan.

And that’s it.

And meanwhile, the coastal road is open, and the coastal towns of Eastern Samar are without service.

Smart — when are you going to fix this?

It’s a coastal area.

It’s not far at all from Tacloban.

How hard can it be?

Please advise when you will make a serious effort to restore coverage in Eastern Samar up to the same levels you have restored in all the other areas you serve.

Why must Easter Samar be the lowest priority?

Here are ways to communicate with Smart Communications:

Customer Service Hotline For PLDT/Smart Communications: 171 Toll Free (from Smart Cell or PLDT Landline)

PLDT Customer Care email address Customercare@pldt.com

Smart Hotline in Manila (02) 888-1111 or *888 Toll Free from a Smart Cell

Smart Communications Facebook Page