GLOBE has pumped up Sarangani province’s ‘Sulong Karunungan, Sulong Atleta’ development programs by giving much needed access to communication tools to help student-athletes, teachers and coaches cope with the challenges of online learning.

In a simple ceremony held recently at the Provincial Capitol in Alabel, Globe turned over 80 units of mobile phones, sim cards and at least P640,000 worth of prepaid cards to Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon in support of the Sarangani National Sports Academy (SaNSA), the first of its kind in Region 12, for the start of the new school year.

Sulong Karunungan is the educational component of the flagship Sulong Sarangani program of Gov. Solon. It includes innovation in the K-12 Program of the Department of Education while Sulong Atleta trains student-athletes in various sports disciplines such as combative sports, swimming and athletics in the SaNSA.

“Globe Telecom has been an active partner of Sarangani province in commerce, telecommunications and tourism promotion. Now, I am grateful to have you as a partner in developing the Filipino athlete. Through our Sulong Atleta and Sulong Karunungan development programs, we created the Sarangani National Sports Academy (SaNSA). This is the first of its kind in Mindanao as it is partnered with DepEd to give our student-athletes a leg-up in sports and academics. Our classes start this school year with its first batch of student-athletes. We need to continue building the future of our Sarangani youth following the new normal in health protocols and education. It is our prayer that this partnership will provide momentum for program success. Thank you very much Globe Telecom. Sulong Atleta! Sulong Sarangani!,” stressed the governor.

Globe’s assistance will go a long way, literally, especially for students and teachers coming from far-flung barangays of the province. The mobile phones give them access to the internet where they can get information and research materials they need when classes start. It also provides a platform for the academic and sports training sessions to be online. The load cards will also come in handy because the need to find loading stations will no longer be a problem.

“We are one with Sarangani province in ensuring that student-athletes, their teachers and coaches will have tools to help them face the daunting task of making education accessible despite the challenges and concerns brought by the pandemic. We would like to help ensure that they will remain connected and updated especially when blended learning is the new norm,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe SVP for Corporate Communications and Chief Sustainability Officer.

Globe has provided communication support for DepEd skeletal teams during the pandemic aside from hosting several online conferences to highlight government efforts for students and teachers.

The company, in cooperation with the Department of Education, has launched a free e-library, designed for public school teachers and students to have access to hundreds of free international and local titles appropriate for K-12 learning.

Aside from helping students and teachers, Globe has been very supportive in assisting health and other medical workers, military and security frontliners even at the start of the implementation of travel restrictions and quarantine protocols in mid-March this year.