PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has restored mobile services in Basco, Batanes on Sunday following Typhoon Kiko.

Aligned with their sustainability purpose of connecting and empowering Filipinos everywhere, the Philippines’ largest fully integrated telco provider PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) substantiated the Group’s commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) in its first Communication on Progress (CoP) report. The report documents the two companies’ progress towards incorporating UNGC Principles and the UN Sustainable Goals in the business.

As the City Government of Davao aggressively rolls out COVID-19 vaccines to its residents to achieve herd immunity before the year ends, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte underscores the importance of reliable and uninterrupted internet connection across the city’s vaccination hubs.

PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc., (Smart) are partnering with the municipalities of San Miguel and Inabanga in Bohol to bring high-speed internet access closer to people and communities, providing much needed connectivity in these agriculture-dependent towns.

PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) call on the public and private sector to work together towards the improvement of the country’s Internet connectivity, to help hasten the country’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

Amid dark and difficult times, the Filipino people’s resilience and camaraderie have built a more empathic culture and safer spaces online. With the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health becomes a prevalent issue that affects everyone. PLDT and Smart, through its collaborative initiative and platform Better Today, recently partnered with #MentalHealthPH, one of the country’s largest mental health advocacy groups, to drive conversations on mental health awareness.

PLDT and Smart are working with youth-led organization Kids for Kids Philippines (Kids for Kids PH) and SaferKidsPH, the pioneering consortium of Save the Children, The Asia Foundation and UNICEF, to take on the fight against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) in barangays.

For Dr Andresul Labis of the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) in San Simon, Cagayan de Oro City, connectivity remains to be as important as ever as the country faces rising COVID-19 cases, especially for facilities located away from city centers.

The country’s largest, fully integrated telco firm PLDT urged businesses to rethink their strategies and re-examine their approaches to cope with the long-drawn-out pandemic.

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.