PLDT & Smart Communities

Remote schools in the province of Southern Leyte are the latest recipients of a School-in-a-Bag. Sponsored by the UNICEF in collaboration with PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc., Department of Education Region VIII, and PBSP, marks the global agency’s fourth and largest deployment of SIAB kits to date.

Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/4w4xy2t

For Ferdilyn Rivas Sta. Maria, running a barbecue business in Pandacan since the pandemic meant doing almost everything herself — cooking, managing orders, and posting on social media. It worked well enough, but she knew there was more she could be doing online and just did not know how.

Read more about her story and here: https://bit.ly/4oxpg0m

After three years of strengthening emergency communications in some of the country's most disaster-prone communities, PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc., alongside the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), marked the culmination of Project REACHED (Resilient Emergency Communications for Enhanced Disaster Response), a program that has helped enhance local disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

Read More: https://bit.ly/3SaOIgh

Atty. Queen Marilyd S. Alarva, mayor of Pila, Laguna, recognizes how collaborations between the public and private sectors can help create and expand opportunities for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises. Members of local agriculture cooperatives and MSMEs recently joined a digital entrepreneurship session organized by International Trade Centre, under Digital-PINAS, with the Department of Trade and Industry-Laguna and PLDT and Smart. ⁣
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Read more: bit.ly/4fQknxo

Cabanatuan City eyes faster and more responsive government services through AI⁣
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Cabanatuan City, under the leadership of Mayor Mika Vergara, has begun its AI Mentorship journey through PLDT and Smart’s AI-in-a-Box program. Backed by PLDT-Smart Foundation, the initiative brings artificial intelligence closer to communities through technology, connectivity, and capacity-building.⁣
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In the next few months, the city government will develop a centralized digital query platform that can receive citizen concerns and automatically route them to the appropriate office. The system is expected to streamline public feedback management and help shorten response times for requests and concerns.⁣
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Cabanatuan City joins Baguio City, Cebu City, and Lanao del Sur in exploring AI-powered solutions that can help improve local governance and public service delivery.⁣
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Cabanatuan City eyes faster and more responsive government services through AI⁣
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Cabanatuan City, under the leadership of Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara, has begun its AI Mentorship journey through PLDT and Smart’s AI-in-a-Box program. With support from the group’s social outreach arm PLDT-Smart Foundation, the initiative brings artificial intelligence closer to communities through technology, connectivity, and capacity-building.⁣
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In the next few months, the city government will develop a centralized digital query platform that can receive citizen concerns and automatically route them to the appropriate office. The system is expected to streamline public feedback management and help shorten response times for requests and concerns.⁣
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Cabanatuan City joins Baguio City, Cebu City, and the province of Lanao del Sur in exploring AI-powered solutions that can help improve local governance and public service delivery.⁣
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Smart Communications, Inc. supports the GSMA in its commitment to close the mobile gender gap.

♀️ Closing the mobile gender gap isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s an economic and social one. Connectivity is integral to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those related to health, education, climate and financial inclusion.

📈 analysis estimates that closing the gender gap in mobile internet adoption between 2023 and 2030 would deliver $1.3 trillion in additional GDP in LMICs.

Beyond economics, GSMA research has shown that once women use mobile internet, most believe it has a positive impact on their lives and to a similar degree as men. Access to mobile internet can give women greater resilience in the face of economic, climate and political crises and shocks, as well as access to digital services that will improve their livelihoods.

📕 Download the Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026 from our partner – Mobile for Development for the full analysis: https://bit.ly/4vNJK7u

Mindanao earthquake Advisory 5: PLDT and Smart Continue Last-Mile Connectivity Efforts, Expand Starlink Support in Earthquake-Affected Communities

PLDT and Smart continue to support recovery efforts in southern Mindanao, with network personnel deployed to Balut Island in partnership with Pacific Global One, the aviation arm of the MVP Group. This is part of ongoing last-mile initiatives to help reconnect affected communities and sustain communications services in hard-to-reach areas.

Complementing these efforts, PLDT Enterprise has deployed free Starlink-powered WiFi services in earthquake-affected communities, including General Santos City, Sarangani, Glan, Jose Abad Santos, and parts of Davao Occidental. Open to all mobile subscribers regardless of network, the initiative helps residents access vital communications, information, and online services during the recovery period. Starlink connectivity has also been deployed in key government facilities and healthcare institutions, including the Malungon Sarangani Provincial Hospital and Sarangani Provincial Hospital, to support critical communications in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology - DICT.

PLDT and Smart recently just concluded their , , and stations in Barangay Kapatan, Glan, Sarangani Province; Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental; and the PLDT Sales and Service Center in General Santos City. Over the past several days, the station served as an important communications hub for residents affected by the earthquake, helping them reconnect with loved ones and access important information. Through its advocacy, the Group remains committed to helping communities stay informed, supported, and connected during emergencies.

Read more: https://bit.ly/43mVLF2

Advisory 4: PLDT Group Brings Connectivity and Relief Support to Earthquake-Affected Communities

To help support critical communications following the recent earthquake in southern Mindanao, PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the PLDT Group, has partnered with the Department of Information and Communications Technology - DICT and the local government units of General Santos (LGU GenSan: TATAK Heneral), Saranggani (Sarangani Provincial Information Office), and South Cotabato (Provincial Government of South Cotabato), to deploy Starlink connectivity in key Mindanao hospitals, now operational at the Sarangani Provincial Hospital-Malungon, Sarangani Provincial Hospital (Alabel). The deployment forms part of the Group's communications-as-aid initiatives to support emergency response and recovery efforts in affected communities.

Together with its social outreach arm, PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. have begun distributing the first tranche of relief assistance to affected families. The assistance includes food packs, potable water, and hot meals. (including free NDD calls), , and services also remain available in General Santos City; Glan, Sarangani; and Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental. Smart and TNT PH subscribers in affected areas also received emergency load assistance to help them communicate with loved ones and access important information.

The Group continues to work closely with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), DRRMOs, local government units, government agencies, and community partners in ongoing relief efforts. Personnel are working around the clock to provide communications support where needed while prioritizing the safety of employees and facilities. Through its advocacy, the Group helps communities stay informed, supported, and connected during emergencies.

Read more: https://bit.ly/43mVLF2