PLDT, the country’s largest fully integrated telco, and its mobile unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) emerged as the top Philippine telco at the 2022 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, bagging gold, silver, and bronze citations for initiatives in brand and digital communications, customer service, and corporate social responsibility.

Launched in 2002, the Stevie Awards is among the world’s premier programs that honor the positive contributions of organizations and professionals across 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.

“We are grateful for these citations for they put a spotlight on our initiatives that provide value to the communities that we serve,” said PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio. “We will continue to pursue innovative and relevant products and services that will create a lasting impact for our customers and our country.”

Bagging the Gold Stevie for Innovation in Entertainment Apps is Smart GigaPlay, a groundbreaking app that provides Smart subscribers with exclusive content attuned to their passions. GigaPlay serves as a virtual concert hall, sports stadium, and movie theatre in a single app, bringing world-class entertainment within Filipinos’ reach anytime, anywhere – from live sports, local and international music shows, to pay-per-view (PPV) content.

Silver Stevies were awarded to PLDT Enterprise’s Digicon 2021, a digital convention that gathers global industry mavens, thought leaders, and tech pioneers, to help drive technological enablement among enterprises; MVP Bossing Awards, a program which celebrates Philippine entrepreneurs and businesses; and PLDT Home’s Madiskarte Moms PH—an online community of Filipina mompreneurs supporting and empowering fellow mompreneurs.

Smart also garnered Silver Stevies for #SimplyLove Digital Pride, a digital event-parade-concert to celebrate Pride Month amid the quarantine restrictions; and for #FarmSmart, which aims to improve the lives and livelihood of farmers through tech-based capacity-building initiatives.

Three Bronze Stevies were awarded to the group for Smart Chatbot, a new customer service platform with advanced capabilities within the Facebook Messenger app, which empowers subscribers to solve their account and data issues with just a few taps on their smart phone; Smart GigaFest, a series of large-scale international music events at the height of the pandemic, covering global superstars from mainstream to K-pop genres; and Smart Battle of Legends, an epic exhibition match to celebrate the National Gaming Day and highlight the growing number of Filipino gamers.

Winners of the annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards will be celebrated in a virtual ceremony on June 29.