As businesses continue to embrace digital technologies, PLDT and Smart continue to strengthen their partnership with the Ministry of Trade, Investments, and Tourism (MTIT) in empowering Moro entrepreneurs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to grow resilient and future-ready enterprises.
More than a hundred entrepreneurs joined the digital entrepreneurship sessions that introduced practical strategies for building their brand and promoting their products through content creation and social media. PLDT’s B2B arm, PLDT Enterprise, also presented connectivity and digital solutions to help MSMEs expand their market reach.
Participants learn the importance reels for visual content, attention span, and mobile usage as effective messaging for their products during the MSME week in Cotabato City.
Snooky Gani, Division Chief of Enterprise and Trade Development at MTIT-BARMM, shared “We are thankful for our unwavering partnership with PLDT and Smart throughout the years. This collaboration has made a meaningful impact on MSMEs and the communities we serve. We look forward to strengthening this partnership in the years ahead and creating even greater opportunities for growth, innovation, and service for our Bangsamoro.”
The PLDT Group also supported MTIT under the RAPID Growth Project, to conduct digital training sessions for Bangsamoro coconut farmer organizations. Local coconut farmers learned to leverage digital tools and platforms, from creating social media Reels and designing publication materials, to using digital payment solutions such as Maya.
A participant utilizes design software on their phone to create a poster or business collateral during the entrepreneurial skills training in Sultan Kudarat.
"Digital transformation should create opportunities not only for businesses in urban centers but also for MSMEs and farming communities. Through our continuing collaboration with MTIT-BARMM, we hope to expand digital opportunities for entrepreneurs across Mindanao, helping them build their competitiveness, broaden their reach, and participate more actively in the digital economy," said Judee Chaves, Mindanao Relations Head at PLDT and Smart.
This collaboration is part of the Group’s #KonektedforLivelihoods advocacy and reflects a shared commitment to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, by empowering grassroots entrepreneurs with inclusive access to digital tools and platforms. This also underscores PLDT and Smart’s support to the Philippine government’s digitalization thrust and advancing progress toward no poverty, gender equality, economic growth, and innovation.
