Shown at the virtual signing of the Deed of Donation are: From left (top to bottom), PLDT CFO Anabelle Chua, PLDT Smart Foundation (PSF) President Ma. Esther Santos, Smart AVP Stephanie Orlino, PLDT FVP Leo Posadas, PSF Chairman Manuel V Pangilinan, PLDT FVP Melissa Vergel de Dios, Huawei VP Daniel Guo, Huawei Public Relations Staff Liang Jiahao, Huawei Philippines Director Wang Ye, and Huawei Senior PR Manager Karenina Buenafe.

PLDT Smart Foundation (PSF) recently received a donation of US$200,000 (Php10,110,000) from one of its technology partners Huawei. The donation will be used to help fund programs of PSF as well as some corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of PLDT and Smart.

The CSR initiatives for funding, to be determined by both PSF and Huawei, will include those that are aligned with the PLDT Group’s core value of malasakit, such as disaster response, rehabilitation and recovery; promotion and enhancement of education in the Philippines; environmental conservation; and the use of technology in health services.

At the virtual signing ceremony of the Deed of Donation, PSF Chairman Manuel V Pangilinan thanked Huawei for the long and productive partnership between PLDT-Smart and Huawei. “I would also like to thank Huawei for the US$200,000 donation to PSF, which will go a long way in supporting our CSR programs like education, disaster relief, environment, telehealth, and many more,” Pangilinan said.

The partnership between PSF and Huawei started years ago when Huawei donated disaster relief equipment, such as tents, rechargeable lights, and other tools, for PSF’s disaster response program. It has also contributed 13 sets of School-In-A-Bag with Huawei laptops for Smart’s education program, and the recent telehealth equipment for Makati Medical Center and Cardinal Santos hospitals.

Huawei Vice President Daniel Guo observed that PLDT and Smart are not only successful companies but also well-respected. “We would like to contribute more to your country as we support your programs such as the School-In-A-Bag, your health initiatives, and the like,” Guo stated.

“The initiatives were chosen to align with the program sectors of PSF, as well as to highlight the technology solutions of Huawei,” according to PSF President Ma. Esther Santos. “These programs are also aligned with Huawei’s overall CSR strategy,” she added.

“Moving forward,” Santos said, “PSF projects will try to inject technology solutions enabled by technology companies Huawei and PLDT-Smart.” She pointed out that “This is also aligned with PSF’s vision-mission of a Connected, Empowered, Progressive Philippines.”

Huawei is a leading global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices. It operates in over 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world. Its mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.

Meanwhile, PSF fully serves as the social outreach arm of PLDT, Inc. and its wireless subsidiary, Smart Communications Inc. It has created programs focused on education, livelihood and social enterprise, disaster response and recovery, youth, arts, and sports development.

This partnership between Huawei and PSF contributes to PLDT’s broad commitment to help the Philippines attain the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG #4: Quality Education; SDG #9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; and SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.