PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) have reinforced their commitment to deliver leveled-up and reliable network operations nationwide, bolstered by collaboration across the Group to notch international certifications for business continuity. These certifications affirm the ability of PLDT and Smart to serve their customers nationwide, even in instances of disruption.
This year, PLDT and Smart garnered a total of 22 Certifications for Business Continuity Management System (ISO 22301:2019), including four new international certifications covering critical network facilities in the Visayas and Mindanao.
"ISO 22301 is an internationally recognized standard that sets the benchmark for effective business continuity management. Achieving this certification is no small achievement, and maintaining it over time speaks volumes about an organization’s dedication to a resilient Business Continuity Management System, safeguarding its operations, employees, and stakeholders," said Atty. Oliver Carlos G. Odulio, Head of Enterprise Business Continuity and Resilience Office (BCRO) at PLDT and Smart.
"Our participation in securing the ISO certifications has further enhanced our capability to maintain our facilities. With the certification, we set procedures on how to respond, recover and restore in times of emergencies," said Efren Fonte, Head of Facilities Management for VisMin at Smart.
"These certifications serve to strengthen the reputation of PLDT and Smart in terms of business continuity: That our partners who rely on us, like our enterprise clients and our subscribers, can truly trust and be confident that our system is working and is reliable at all times, even in times of calamity. They can be confident that we can restore quickly and minimize disruption, so we can return to business as usual as soon as possible," he added.
Buen Bong Crave, Head for Mindanao Fixed Field Operations Support at PLDT, emphasized the importance of simplifying processes, especially technical ones, in order to achieve the certifications. "We put our focus back on the fundamentals, to simplify and streamline our efforts, and to make our work more seamless. And while the process can be daunting at first, we must spread awareness and compliance with the standards to ensure that our products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality," he said.
PLDT and Smart have harnessed collaboration within the Group to notch a total of 22 international Certifications for Business Continuity, affirming the ability of PLDT and Smart to serve their customers nationwide, even in instances of disruption.
Both Fonte and Crave also highlighted the importance of working closely with other teams within the Group, especially in streamlining internal processes.
"Collaboration is the cornerstone of effective business continuity. It fosters innovation, enhances communication and strengthens workplace morale," said Analeen See Co, who heads the Business Continuity Analytics and Strategy Division at PLDT and Smart BCRO. “When more people understand the ISO certification process and the benefits of integrating these best practices into our processes, we can foster a culture of resilience throughout the company," she added.
To facilitate and ensure world-class customer experience through reliable and resilient operations, PLDT established a pervasive resiliency framework through ISO 22301:2019, which enables the company to consistently prevent, minimize, and recover from disruptive incidents while mitigating financial and reputational impact across its critical facilities and operations nationwide.
These certifications cover cable landing stations and network operations centers and ensure that the Group's facilities that support voice, data, and converged multimedia services connectivity are compliant to international standards for business continuity preparedness.
PLDT and Smart's commitment to deliver leveled-up services align with PLDT’s thrust to provide connectivity to all and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) particularly on UNSDG No. 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. These also reinforce PLDT’s support for the Philippine government's overall digitalization thrust as one of the founding members of the government-mandated Presidential Private Sector Advisory Council under the Digital Infrastructure Pillar.
