TEXTLINE LAUNCHING. The first barangay-based infocast in the country was launched in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City on Friday (July 27, 2018). The 'Tisa Textline' launching was spearheaded by (from left) Tisa barangay captain Philip Zafra and Smart Communications' Community Development Partnerships head Nancy Nacua, and Smart Area Development chief Lalaine Musain. (Photo by Bebie Jane Casipong/PNA)
CEBU CITY -- The first ever barangay-based infocast in the country, dubbed “Tisa Textline” and powered by Smart Communications Inc., was launched on Friday in Barangay Tisa, this city.
The Tisa Textline is designed for the barangay government unit to send useful information, weather updates, and advisories to its constituents, who are also encouraged to send feedbacks and air their concerns via SMS.
The barangay -based infocast is the brainchild of Herty Lopez, who is also the Tisa Textline administrator.
Lopez said they have actually started the project early this month and have so far gotten positive response from Barangay Tisa residents. The Tisa Textline now has almost 200 subscribers receiving advisories.
“The project is dedicated to make vital information accessible to Tisa residents and how convenient for them to send and receive advisories from the barangay through text,” Lopez said.
Lopez assured that feedbacks and information from subscribers would not be broadcast to the public and their identity would only be known to the infocast administrator.
Tisa Barangay Captain Philip Savior Zafra said he is grateful that his barangay was the first village in the country with an infocast.
"I am so thankful to Smart for piloting this project in Tisa. It will really help strengthen and widen our programs, especially on emergency response and the campaign against illegal drugs," Zafra said.
Smart Communications’ Community Development Partnerships head Nancy Nacua said they will also be launching other barangay-level infocast in other parts of Cebu province as well.
Nacua said Smart will be providing monthly free credits to the BRGYTISA account and the service is exclusive to Smart, Sun Cellular, and Talk N' Text subscribers.
She also reminded Barangay Tisa that the free infocast service should only be used for the community's common good and not for political campaigns and other bad intentions.
"Once we already give the Smart Infocast to the LGU, the ownership of the facility will not be Smart’s anymore. The LGU is now responsible for all the broadcast messages. We don't have any way of filtering messages," she said.
Residents of Tisa can now easily connect to the barangay hall by texting their concerns, complaints, questions, and requests to 7444TISA (74448472).
Subscribers need to register their information to the barangay and input their complete names, contact information, and addresses.
Zafra and Lopez urged their constituents to register their contact information so that they can receive advisories. (With Bebie Jane Casipong/PNA)
