Leading integrated telco network PLDT Inc (PLDT) and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc (Smart), are making sure their workforce is ready for emergencies. Through their Business Continuity and Resilience Office (BCRO), the telcos have rolled out a series of Business Continuity Awareness Programs in critical network facilities across Metro Manila and the Visayas. The program ensures that both business and the workforce stay safe, and operations keep running smoothly during unexpected situations.
“More than being about business continuity plans on paper, resilience is ultimately about our people being prepared and equipped wherever they are, may it be at work or at home,” said Leo Gonzales, Head of Properties and Facilities Management at PLDT. “Through these programs, we are empowering our teams to respond effectively during crises while ensuring their families are also safe. A prepared employee is a dependable responder, and that is what makes our organization stronger. When our workforce is ready, we are also able to deliver uninterrupted service to our customers, even in the face of disruption.”
These programs were held at PLDT and Smart facilities in Cebu (Jones, Mandaue, and South Cebu) as well as in Sampaloc MITC, Diliman East Avenue, and Greenhills in Metro Manila. These sessions were designed to help employees better understand how to stay prepared, work together, and respond to emergencies.
Alongside discussions on organizational continuity strategies, the sessions also highlighted the importance of personal and family preparedness or being ready at home. Employees were encouraged to make sure their families are safe, too, so they can respond calmly and effectively if something unexpected happens.
Participants received practical tools such as Go Bag checklists, risk assessment templates, and digital resources like the HANDA mobile app. The sessions also reinforced communication protocols, clarified the roles of Emergency Management Teams (EMTs), and provided localized hazard awareness training.
The sessions held at PLDT and Smart facilities in Cebu (Jones, Mandaue, and South Cebu) as well as in Sampaloc MITC, Diliman East Avenue, and Greenhills in Metro Manila, were led by the group's Business Continuity and Resilience Office and were designed to help employees better understand how to stay prepared, work together, and respond to emergencies.
“The goal is not just compliance, but building a culture of preparedness,” added Leng See Co, Head of Business Continuity Analytics and Strategy. “When employees understand their role in continuity and see how it connects to their personal lives, we create a more engaged, resilient organization. We want everyone to see that their safety and readiness matter deeply to PLDT and Smart.”
This initiative supports international standards like ISO 22301:2019 Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) and forms a critical part of PLDT and Smart’s broader strategy to strengthen organizational resilience through training and collaboration with key units such as Network Operations, IT, Enterprise Group, Properties and Facilities Management, and Asset Protection and Security Risk Governance.
These ISO certifications, in turn, reflect the Group’s pursuit of industry-leading operational excellence and enhanced stakeholder confidence, while also focusing on the safety and well-being of their employees and the environment.
These efforts also underscore the PLDT Group’s commitment to helping the country attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), particularly on UN SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth and UN SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and help boost the government's overall thrust to digitalize the nation, narrow the digital divide, and bring the benefits of the internet closer to more Filipinos across the country.
