PLDT Inc.’s wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), in partnership with the Archdiocese of Jaro’s Commission on Social Communications, has launched its first-ever Digital Travel series in Iloilo City titled “ViaJaro”, which aims to promote religious heritage sites in the area while fortifying catechism among younger audience via digital platforms.
The digital travel vlog is led by the seminarians of St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary and parish youth volunteers in the archdiocese. “ViaJaro is a marriage of the old and the new. The old meaning the stories and teachings of the church, and technology and social media being the new means of catechism and preservation of culture and heritage. These are what we aim for under our Digital Tourism and Digital Catechism programs,” said Marylou Gocotano, Smart Group Corporate Communications-Stakeholder Management Visayas Relations Head.
Smart’s Digital Tourism and Digital Catechism programs are designed to propagate tourism and heritage information through innovations that envision to involve more people in the tourism conversation and to encourage the youth’s appreciation for the country’s rich history and culture.
“As we continue the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, we maximize our social media activities, such as creating a travel vlog for better appreciation of our history and to showcase the religiosity of the Ilonggos. As we launch ViaJaro, we would like to express our gratitude to Smart for enabling and supporting us. This series is a product of a collaborative effort with the aim to utilize it as a means of evangelization to improve our understanding of the Catholic faith,” said Fr. Angelo Colada, Director of the Archdiocese of Jaro-Commission on Social Communications.
Additionally, Smart has boosted the commission’s 2nd Jaro Archdiocesan Film Festival via load packages and other freebies which were turned over to the winners. The program is in connection with the celebration of the 56th World Communications Day and the 16th Ordinary Synod Assembly on Synodality. These efforts underscore PLDT and Smart’s commitment to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) #1: No Poverty, and #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth through leveraging on digital technologies to improve the lives and livelihood of communities by ushering them into the digital economy.