Continuing their drive to encourage employee-volunteerism in the spirit of malasakit, PLDT and Smart recently supported pioneering humanitarian organization Hands On Manila’s ‘Servathon 2024’. Held in celebration of Hands On Manila’s 19th anniversary, this year’s Servathon was joined by over 1,100 volunteers, and sought to help address malnutrition and stunting among Filipino children, by fostering the spirit of volunteerism among corporate employees.
According to Joy E. Lapuz, Luzon Relations Head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart, "we joined this year's Servathon to nurture the strong employee volunteerism spirit among PLDT and Smart employees. This is also aligned with one of our core values, malasakit.”
This also plays into the #MakeItMeaningful campaign spearheaded by the People Group of PLDT and Smart, an internal and external employer branding movement that expresses the telco group’s sincere and inspirational call to action to its workforce. It encourages individuals to express malasakit, a Filipino value emphasizing compassion and care, vital for fostering employee engagement, well-being, and organizational commitment. These activities align with PLDT Group’s aim of creating a purpose-driven work environment, where employees feel connected not only to their daily tasks but also to the company's mission, vision, and values.
During the Servathon, the selected activity for the ‘PLDT Smart Communities’ employee-volunteers was the creation of toys that stimulate brain development. The colorful educational toys produced by the team are set to be distributed to Hands On Manila’s partner recipients including BUSILAK (Buhayin ang Sigla ng Lawa at Karagatan) Communities of Barangay San Vicente, Angono, Rizal, and the Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation (NVC Foundation).
PLDT and Smart’s participation in the Hands On Manila initiative underscores the telco group’s strong drive to encourage its workforce to contribute to shared advocacies as individuals, in this case donating their time and energy to make a positive impact on the lives of Filipino children and their families.
