“Forty years passed like a breeze without noticing the time,” said Gene de Guzman, who is among eight employees recently feted by the country’s largest integrated telco PLDT for 40 years of loyal service.
De Guzman started as a Shift Engineer who monitored the first eight electronic switches for landlines in the Southwest portion of Metro Manila. “Up to this day, I can still recall the prefixes of landlines being served by these eight switches. I worked on a 24x7x365 routine shift for about three years, then got transferred to manning my own 10,000-line switch at Ramon Cojuangco Building [in Makati] for another two years,” he shared.
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Gene De Guzman is one of PLDT’s 40-year-service awardees.
By early 2000s, De Guzman was interviewed by the incoming Group Head of Corporate Business Group—now President and CEO Alfredo Panlilio—to join the organization and head the re-defined Data Services Installation and Maintenance. The group evolved to what is now called Enterprise Business Group, where De Guzman headed the whole Technical Operations Sector.
PLDT was De Guzman’s first job right after graduating from the College of Engineering at the University of Santo Tomas. It was in PLDT that he found the passion to deliver the best customer experience; to continuously improve, learn, and grow; to serve well and to lead projects creating meaningful changes.
“Over the past 40 years, I have seen PLDT grow and change in many ways. But one thing has remained constant—our commitment to providing the best service to our North Star, our customers. And it is because of this commitment that we have been able to achieve the success that we enjoy today. I am grateful and proud to be part of an organization that empowers the Filipino nation,” De Guzman said.
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Led by PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and PLDT President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio, together with the executive management of PLDT, the 40-year-service awardees are recognized onstage during the service awards.
De Guzman’s journey “began as a job but has evolved into a remarkable story of dedication and achievement.” While there have been countless challenges along the way, he shared how a day at the office is being able to proudly lead with love, passion, honesty and integrity—and most of all, owe and uplift everything to God Almighty.
For De Guzman, working in PLDT has been a gift. In every sense, the company has been a “great provider,” especially through the benefits it provides. “Like graces from God,” shares De Guzman.
