Customer connections: Nestor's story

Behind every top-up sent with us, there is a story waiting to be told. Our 'Customer connections' series brings to light some of these stories, and how for some, sending a little really does go a long way.

Meet Nestor 👋, a lead reporter and contributor to KUAM News in Guam.

We caught up online, and he shared with us how he spends his time between Guam and Manila, and how he uses Ding to stay connected with his family in the Philippines.

Nestor Licanto, In Full Zoom & Beyond Our Borders host - KUAM News

Kumusta Nestor! Tell us a bit about where you grew up?

Hi Andrea!

I was born in the Philippines, but I left before I was a year old because my father was a member of the U.S. Navy.

As it is typical for a military family, we moved to many duty stations across the US and in Japan, before he finally retired and settled down in Guam, which is where I mostly grew up.

Guam is the longest place I’ve ever lived, by far. For those that don't know, it's a US island territory in the Pacific. The people are warm and kind, and the island is beautiful, it was a great place to grow up.

And where do you live now?

I’m currently splitting my time between Guam and Manila in the Philippines, where my family lives and where my wife and children grew up.

There are so many similarities between the people and cultures of the two places that it’s not much of an adjustment at all. I guess the biggest difference is that Guam has more of a “small town” feel to it while Manila is more metropolitan. 

How is your experience working abroad? Has covid changed this at all?

As technology has advanced, I've been able to work remotely in Manila for KUAM News in Guam, which means I can spend more time with my family.

I’m the senior correspondent, and also host a number of weekly interview shows on the station, one of which has a special focus for the large Filipino community in Guam.

I think the pandemic accelerated the move towards remote news gathering, which in turn has allowed me to spend more time abroad in the Philippines. With a laptop, a smartphone, and a good internet connection I can file reports from anywhere in the world and send them back to Guam.

How do you communicate with your family when you're away?

When I’m in Guam, like most with family abroad, we communicate online over apps such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. 

Covid hasn't really changed how we communicate, if anything during lockdowns, we probably spent more time online in an effort to stay in touch with each other.

Nestor with his family in Manila 💕

How do you use Ding to stay connected?

Ding has been a fast and easy way for me to reload both my own number and my family's phones. If I'm in Manila I will load my Philippines number, which I can do as soon as I arrive in a couple of taps.

Whether I'm in Guam or Manila, once or twice a week I will send load to my two teenage children. “Dad can you send me some load” is part of our weekly conversation, they are frequent mobile users I might add!