Home isn’t just about where you are, it’s how you remain connected to what and who’s important to you.
Where is home? This question has never been asked as often as it is nowadays—when half the world, it seems, is living elsewhere. It started during the pandemic, when many couldn’t go home because of the lockdowns and had to work wherever they were, and many more chose to continue this lifestyle when everything went back to normal.
My experience of making a home away from home also began during the pandemic when I moved to Boracay in 2021. I lived there for two years before returning full-time to Manila in 2023. Of all the lessons island life taught me, one stood out: the importance of being connected to the internet. It allowed me to work remotely, maintain my job, and perhaps most importantly, stay close to my family and friends (oh, the endless Zoom calls!).
That experience made me realize that home is not one fixed place—it’s wherever I am, even if temporarily. That mindset has followed me into my current life, where I now spend part of the year in Europe. In fact, I’m writing this from my flat abroad during the Easter break, proof that home truly is wherever you make it—especially when you’re digitally connected.
A shift in perspective
PLDT Home recognized this mindset shift among Filipinos who left home to work on islands, return to their provinces, or simply chose to stay put. Thus, its campaign “Anywhere is home” resonates powerfully in today’s world and with the modern perspective that you can truly live and work anywhere and still stay close to your family and friends.
Fiber connection allows this connectivity, particularly in urban centers where digital infrastructure has long been established. However, the story differs dramatically across the Philippines’ scattered islands and provinces. For decades, these communities watched the digital revolution happening at a distance—as bystanders, not as active participants. While we, city dwellers, routinely kicked up a fuss about momentary connection issues, islanders continued to struggle with basic connectivity challenges that kept them excluded from the digital economy.
PLDT Home took this as an opportunity to make a difference in their lives, reaffirming its “We are Here for You” promise by bringing fiber connectivity to what were once considered unreachable or underserved places and transform them into connected communities.
The telco giant brought fiber connectivity to Boracay many years ago, enabling entrepreneurs and remote workers to flourish. Then it brought fiber to Siargao, Bantayan, and Negros, which also allowed thousands of digital nomads from all over the world to continue living in these places.
But for locals, it was so much more—it gave them one more reason to remain in their beloved hometowns. Like Siargao and Negros, Sorsogon is another success story of how fiber changes lives and gives people new opportunities in the place they call home.
From whale sharks to local entrepreneurs
Nestled at the southernmost tip of Luzon in the Bicol region, Sorsogon became well known around the world for its small town of Donsol, where whale sharks—locally known as butanding—nest in the waters during peak season. What was once a quiet fishing village was transformed into an eco-tourism destination, attracting nature lovers, divers, and conservationists eager for the rare chance to swim alongside these gentle giants in their natural habitat.
Home to less than a million people, Sorsogon represents another triumph in PLDT Home’s mission to fiberize the Philippines, one underserved area at a time. Once digitally marginalized, Sorsogon now has all kinds of entrepreneurs who have found a new livelihood online or improved their offerings. Tourism operators are now promoting the province more effectively and entrepreneurs who sell specialties like the pili nut have learned to market their products thanks to online tools.
Bicolana and young entrepreneur Geshil Frilles Tapel is one of them. Nicknamed the “Marimar ng Sorsogon,” Geshil runs an online ukay-ukay, a traditionally brick-and-mortar store that sells second-hand clothing.
And you’ll never guess what her work was before she began making a living on social media as a content creator. Geshil was a lady guard when she started posting funny videos on Facebook. After her reels became viral, Geshil, the breadwinner, realized she could make a living from social media.
“My father and stepmother are both Sorsogon natives,” she says in an interview. “What I earned as a lady guard was just enough to feed my family. When my videos started going viral and making money, friends pushed me to become a content creator full-time.”
Her content? Everyday life in Sorsogon, like Geshil singing and spending time with her family and friends. “Life is simple in Sorsogon,” she says. “And everything that I was enjoying in Manila is now here in Bicol. Mas nakikilala ako dito kaysa sa Maynila bilang isang content creator. Nakilala ako bilang ‘Marimar ng Sorsogon’ kasi noon pa mahilig na ako sa dagat at magsuot ng dresses. Mas pinili ko ang Sorsogon, lalo na andito ang mga supporters ko. I have a more comfortable life here.”
The Marimar connection also comes by way of the local edition of the Mexican telenovela. Actress Marian Rivera starred in the 2007 series, and one of the charities she supported benefitted Geshil, a hydrocephalus survivor, when she was a child.
Geshil also does live selling on Facebook and Tiktok. Like her “good vibes” content, she finds the act of talking directly to customers enjoyable. “Sobrang magaan bilang isang content creator dahil sa PLDT Home,” she says. “It’s easier to upload videos and do live selling with PLDT Home. Sometimes I do seven videos and upload them all without any problem, walang stress! Para sa isang content creator, may oras na dapat nagpo-post ka. Kung walang magandang internet ‘di mo mahahabol ang oras na yan.”
For multimedia graphic artist Jesus Melton Balicano, Sorsogon hits the sweet spot of the low cost of living, availability of job opportunities and resources. “In my experience, Sorsogon can provide everything.”
Melton also works at the city government of Sorsogon and lives with his family. “Our bonding moments are usually spent at home. We cook, we eat together, go to the mall or the park,” he shares. “At home, we use our cellphones, computer, and tablet to watch movies, play games, or just hang out online together.”
Melton says he’s traveled to many tourist destinations around the country, but Sorsogon has a special place in his heart. “Sorsogon has eco-tourism offerings like beaches and mountains, but for locals what’s important is that business establishments and opportunities here are booming.”
He adds, “Before PLDT Home, we didn’t have a reliable internet service provider, which was a problem because when I needed to send large files to my clients or teammates, I had to use a flash drive and physically deliver it to them. Ang laking abala, very time-consuming. Now, it’s a matter of seconds or minutes for you to send files and, equally important, they’re backed up on the cloud. Also before, I needed to go to an internet café to do research. Unlike today with PLDT Home, you don’t have to spend extra because your internet at home is working.”
Living in Sorsogon, Melton passionately believes in two things. The first is, “Internet is life.” And the second, which he shares with so much enthusiasm, is: “Bicol is my home!”
Watch Geshil and Melton’s full stories on PLDT Home’s YouTube channel here.
