PLDT Inc. (PLDT) (PSE: TEL) (NYSE: PHI), the country’s largest fully integrated telecommunications and digital services company, has been included in the ATR Asset Management (ATRAM) Philippine Sustainable Development and Growth Fund (PSDGF). ATRAM’s PSDGF is considered a pioneer in incorporating the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its investment portfolio. The Fund, established in February 2021, aims to achieve capital growth by investing locally in equities of companies whose products and services are considered by the investment manager as contributing to the positive environmental or social change, thereby making an impact on the sustainable development and growth of the economy.
Following the fund’s annual review on its second year, PLDT was added to the fund’s holdings with a weight of 7%, following Century Pacific Food Inc. with a weight of 7.4%. PLDT is the only telco in the fund’s top three holdings.
“We are very pleased with our inclusion in ATRAM's sustainability-based equity investment portfolio as it recognizes the PLDT Group’s long-term commitment to sustainable business practices. While much still needs to be done, this affirms that our efforts and plans to address environmental, social and governance issues are directed towards areas that matter. Even as we ramp up initiatives to ensure the best customer experience and pursue improvement in our profitability, we are doing so without forgetting our responsibility as a steward of the planet for the next generation,” said Melissa Vergel de Dios, First Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at PLDT.
As part of its annual portfolio review, ATR Asset Management handpicks 20 firms listed in the local bourse that are seen to be contributing to positive environmental, economic, and social change. The fund manager measures specific outcomes or performance of companies based on SDGs grouped into wellness, progress, and fairness.
The unit investment trust fund aims to draw in investors who are eyeing local equity securities with a long-term outlook and an aggressive profile. The market has shown an appetite for companies that have integrated sustainability into their business. The fund grew 21% in 2021 outpacing the bellwether PSE Index by more than 18%.
PLDT has been making strides in its sustainability push. PLDT and its wireless arm, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), are the only telecommunication companies that are members of the Stakeholders’ Chamber on the Sustainable Development Goals initiated by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). It is also a member of the Global Compact Network Philippines, the local chapter of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).
With the support of the Board led by Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio has identified sustainability as one of the key fulcrums that underpin the group’s strategy. Under his leadership the company is embarking on a decarbonization journey that aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by around 40% by 2030.
