PLDT-Smart Foundation tops up educational grant for PNP dependents

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Dependents of Filipino police officers killed or injured in service receive a P1-million educational grant from PLDT-Smart Foundation, now on its 12^th year, with the aim of providing college educational opportunities. The PSF has so far produced 639 scholars through the Educational Assistance Program. 

  

"Education is an integral part of our efforts in the PLDT-Smart Foundation. We continue to do our part in the community to ensure that we provide adequate resources to support today's youth as they become our next generation of leaders,” said PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V Pangilinan who is also the Chairman of the PLDT-Smart Foundation.  

  

In line with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Integrated Transformation Program, the PSF Educational Assistance Program aims to provide college educational opportunities to the dependents of PNP uniformed personnel, with highest priority to those who are sons/daughters of personnel who were killed in actual performance of duty (KIA), complete disability discharged (CDD) wounded or incapacitated in line of duty and those dependents who graduated with honors.  

  

"In PLDT and Smart, we appreciate and we are extremely grateful for the heroic efforts that our police force has done through the years. Even now, amid the pandemic, they serve our country and the Filipino people by ensuring our safety and protection,” said Smart President & CEO and PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Al Panlilio.   

  

Every year, a total of 50 dependents are selected by the PNP to benefit from this scholarship assistance. The annual grant of the PSF to the PNP is P500,000. Last year, the MVP Golf Cup led by PLDT Enterprise partnered with the PSF as its beneficiary for the mulligan donation. PLDT Enterprise matched the annual grant of the PSF, amounting to a total of P1-million educational grant for 2020.   

  

“Some of the most heartwarming stories I have ever heard are from the children of our PNP heroes. These are stories of loss, grief, hope and healing. We want to continue the legacy of these brave men and women by empowering their sons and daughters to have the best opportunities. In the PLDT-Smart Foundation, we become enablers of dreams and countless possibilities,” said PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos. 

  

Empowering the youth 

  

20-year-old Jhosan Michelle Roy is one of this year’s beneficiaries of the educational grant. She is currently a third year college student, taking up BS Psychology in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Main Campus. Roy dreams to be a clinical psychologist someday while running her own business.  

  

“Malaking bagay po ang tulong na ibinigay sa akin ng PLDT-Smart Foundation. I’m sure na ‘yung papa ko po ay masaya ngayon dahil patuloy kong inaabot ang mga pangarap ko. Thank you, PLDT-Smart Foundation. Mabuhay po kayo,” said Roy.  

  

Over the last twelve years, the PSF has honored the sacrifices of our nation’s public servants – the brave women and men of the Philippine National Police. Through the years, the grant was able to make a big difference in the lives of beneficiaries and uplifted the morale of the entire police force. 

PLDT-Smart Foundation partners with DSWD, UP Diliman to support communities in Quezon City

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MANILA, Philippines, June 29, 2020 – PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) recently turned over food pack donations to 300 families from the Yakan Tribe, a Muslim community located in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. The foundation also provided relief assistance to 600 displaced construction workers located in the University of the Philippines Diliman.

The donations were from PLDT and Smart’s Kapit Kapatid which is an employee-initiated fundraising campaign for frontliners as well as communities severely impacted by the pandemic.

This was done in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), University of the Philippines Office of the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development and Your 200 Pesos which is a project that aims to feed families affected by the pandemic. The Your 200 Pesos is led by TV personality and beauty queen Michele Gumabao who also joined the recent relief efforts.

“During these uncertain times, the PLDT-Smart Foundation aims to provide assurance that help and support are given to underprivileged families and communities affected by the pandemic. We hope that these simple donations will sustain them, especially during this difficult time,” said PSF President Esther Santos.

“Through this joint effort of DSWD, the PLDT-Smart Foundation, the Office of the UP Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development and Your 200 Pesos project by Ms. Michele Gumabao, we were able to reach out to those who are affected by this pandemic. DSWD is fervent in engaging public-private sector partnerships to ensure that relief goods are delivered to the affected people during this health crisis,” said Disaster Response Management Bureau Director Jam Karess Banzon.

The PSF has been a certified agency of the DSWD for the foundation’s regular programs, especially for disaster response and has been a registered Social Welfare Development Agency since 2014. 

To know more about the efforts of the PLDT Group in beating the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit http://beta.pldt.com/covid19/.

Stranded OFWs and locals get help from PLDT Smart Foundation

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Haira Aba, 29 years old, is the breadwinner of her family in Datu Paglas in Maguindanao. She applied for a job as a domestic helper in Qatar and travelled to Manila. But the COVID-19 pandemic came, overseas travel came to a halt, and as a result, she has been stuck in Manila for the past four months.

54-year old Dennis Sebastian is a mechanical operator and harvester in Tuguegarao – a job he has been doing for six years now. He usually travels back to his hometown in Compra, Liloy in Zamboanga Del Norte three times a year. This year, he was scheduled to return home last April 6. But due to the pandemic, his flight was rescheduled to June 5 – and then was again cancelled.

Aba and Sebastian are two of the 350 returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and locally stranded individuals (LSI's) at the Villamor Elementary School in Villamor Airbase, Pasay City. They received meals and other assistance from the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) through employee-led fundraising initiatives such as the Fairness, Integrity, Transparency and Accountability (F.I.T.A.) Video Challenge and Kapit Kapatid Program.

The PSF also partnered with the Department of Interior and Local Government and Department of Social Welfare and Development in the National Capital Region.

“Our hearts are with our brothers and sisters who are struggling to be reunited with their families. We understand how important being with family is in order to cope better during this difficult time. We hope that our simple gesture brought them some joy, especially during these trying times,” said PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos.

'The Internet saved me'

According to Aba, her situation is difficult since she is far away from her family. She said that what brought comfort during this difficult time was the help they have received from various organizations and individuals.

“Kailangan kong magtiis. Nakikipagkuwentuhan na lang ako sa mga kasama ko dito para hindi ma-bored. Malaking tulong din ang cellphone at Internet dahil na rin may YouTube,” Aba said.

(I need to endure this. I just talk to some of the people that are also stranded here so that I won’t get bored. Having my cellphone with me and having Internet also helps a lot because there’s Youtube.) 

Finding all means to survive

Unable to fly home, Sebastian stayed for several weeks at a footbridge near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Last June 11, he was transferred to the Villamor Elementary School. In order to buy food, Sebastian said he had sold some of his personal belongings. This included his cellphone, which he sold for P300, a luggage for P500 and his shoes for P200.

According to Sebastian he lived like a nomad for weeks. “Palipat-lipat ako ng puwesto kapag sobrang init at umuulan. Sana hindi na maulit ito kasi apat na buwan na akong hindi nakakauwi. Wala na akong communication [sa aking pamilya]. Pero bago ko ibinenta ang cellphone ko, natawagan ko na sila at sinabi kong h’wag mag-alala,” Sebastian said.

(I keep changing positions and places where to stay, especially when it is extremely hot or when it rains. I hope this never happens again because it’s been four months that I haven’t been home. I don’t have any communication with my family. But before I sold my cellphone, I was able to call them and tell them not to worry.)

On June 25, Sebastian is scheduled to finally come home.

To know more about the efforts of the PLDT Group in beating the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit http://beta.pldt.com/covid19/.

Helping the Frontliners in the fight against COVID-19 : MVP Group provides assistance to health workers, communities

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The Tulong Kapatid, the corporate social responsibility consortium of companies, foundations and affiliates under the leadership of Manuel V. Pangilinan, conducted a series of relief efforts and activities to help frontline health workers, government response teams as well as some underprivileged and homeless families in Metro Manila.

“We are fully committed to supporting our frontline health workers who are working tirelessly to save lives and to combat this pandemic. We will continue to pour in resources to address the needs and demands of our frontline workers, including PPEs and relief packages,” said PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.

To date, here are some of the efforts of the Tulong Kapatid:

• Frontline health workers and government hospitals also recently received 14,000 Liters of 70% Ethyl alcohol donation from the Tulong Kapatid. The ethyl alcohol donation was from the Roxol Bioenergy Corporation, a company under the Roxas Holdings, Inc. These were transported and distributed to Metro Manila through the assistance of the Metropac Movers, Inc., PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) and the Makati Medical Center Foundation. 

• Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), along with Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (MPIF), provided personal protective equipment (PPEs) such as nitrile gloves, goggles, and coveralls, as well as boxes of vitamins to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the Philippine Genome Center. Initial donation of 500 units of 1,000 virus specimen collection tubes were also turned over to RITM.

• 200 PPEs, 100 boxes of Clusivol, and 10 Tulip Tabletop Water Filters were also donated to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.

• MPIC and MPIF will also provide 1,000 full PPE kits containing surgical face masks, N95 face masks, disposable head caps, disposable shoe covers, disposable coveralls, disposable surgical gowns, and anti-fog goggles to frontliners in several hospitals and healthcare centers within the region.

• One Meralco Foundation (OMF) turned over their PPE donation which consisted of goggles, surgical gloves, face shields and face masks to the Rizal Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine General Hospital, Lung Center of the Philippines, Lourdes Hospital and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital.

• PSF and Alagang Kapatid Foundation Inc. (AKFI) turned over hygiene kits and care packages which included N95 and surgical masks to frontline health workers at the Philippine General Hospital and East Avenue Medical Center, National Center for Mental Health, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP), Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital and Veterans Memorial Medical Center.

• PSF in partnership with Makati Medical Center Foundation (MMCF) also turned over 12,500 reusable facemasks to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and hospital health workers and 14,400 pcs of Ascorbic Acid to the Lung Center of the Philippines. Along with that, PSF and MMCF decontaminated facilities of AFP General Headquarters and LCP.

• PSF is continuously preparing to distribute grocery packs, hazmat suits, ascorbic acids and reusable face masks to several hospitals and communities in Metro Manila and other regions.

• Subscribers of PLDT, Smart, Sun and TNT also continue to convert their MVP Rewards to donations to the PSF.

• AKFI distributed relief packs, hygiene kits and bottled water to street dwellers and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

• In coordination with the Philippine Marine Corps, AKFI distributed almost 3,800 servings of cooked food and water bottles from Maynilad to various hospitals and troops.

• AKFI also provided over 4,000 eggs to various communities and hospitals through the Ronald Mcdonald House of Charities. Through various donors, AKFI also turned over several relief packs, masks and plastic rolls to several hospitals in Metro Manila.

• OMF also partnered with AKFI to provide relief packs to homeless families in Quezon City and in Baseco Compound, Manila. Food packages were also provided to marginalized families in Brgy. Buting, Pasig City, in partnership with the Philippine National Police, and in Bacoor and Ternate, Cavite; Las Piñas City, Malabon and Pateros.

• Meralco provided flood lights to illuminate the parking area of the Lung Center of the Philippines that has been converted into patients’ triage and queueing area.

• Meralco’s electric vehicle subsidiary eSakay also supported Pasig City by providing and operating six electric jeeps to help transport healthcare frontliners to and from Pasig City General Hospital. The initiative began last March 19, 2020.

• Meralco employees raised P1M and has turned over the funds to PDRF’s Project Ugnayan to help feed homeless families in Manila through Caritas Manila’s Project Damayan.

• To help in the mission of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC), Meralco through OMF donated 20 desktop computers to the organization. In order to provide scientists with crucial information to mitigate the spread of the disease, the PGC is sequencing samples from COVID-19 patients admitted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), The Medical City, and PGH. PGC will also serve as the operations center of a bayanihan effort of various groups within the University of the Philippines system to help respond to the COVID crisis. Around 200 volunteers are expected to participate in this effort.

• Maynilad also provided around 27,000 bottled water to frontline workers from the Philippine Navy, Philippine National Police, Metro Manila Development Authority, National Capital Region Police Office, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Philippine General Hospital, Lourdes Hospital, several local government units, and to various checkpoints in the metropolis. Maynilad also partnered with DPWH in the disinfection of national highways by providing watering points for its disinfection tankers.

• Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, through NLEX, SCTEX, CAVITEX and CALAX, continues to do its work to ensure unhampered movement of goods and transit of personnel of industries allowed to operate amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.  It has also supported and cooperated with the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force Covid-19 SHIELD in the set ups and smooth operations of its checkpoints. MPTC also continuously provides shuttling services to health workers of various hospitals.
   

The Tulong Kapatid continues to do its part in empowering Filipinos in the time of the COVID-19 crisis. Its commitment to provide a nationwide service is anchored on its core value of malasakit. The Tulong Kapatid fuels sparks of hope as it reaches out to various sectors and communities, including frontline health workers, government response teams and the underprivileged.

Above all, these efforts are ultimately inspired by the frontline workers who are working tirelessly to combat this pandemic. The commitment to serve is now seen through the lens of every frontline worker – a doctor, a nurse, a checkpoint officer, a janitor, a food delivery personnel. Each one of them changing the narrative of what resiliency means into something deeper – one that encompasses bravery and strength. One that can only be aptly described as being a hero. 

Here’s to our frontline heroes.  

MVP Group pours in support for COVID-19 Frontliners

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Ethyl alcohol donated to government hospitals

MANILA, Philippines – More efforts to help health workers at the frontlines of the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak have been undertaken by Tulong Kapatid, the consortium of the corporate social responsibility consortium of companies, foundations, and affiliates led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Roxas Holdings, Inc., recently turned over 4,000 Liters of 70% ethyl alcohol from Roxol Bionergy Corporation to frontline health workers of key government hospitals, including facilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The alcohol shipment was delivered to the Philippine Navy and the Malacañang Palace through the Manuel L. Quezon University in Quiapo, Manila.

An allocation was also deployed at the Asian Hospital under the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation for distribution to other MPIC hospitals which are also handling COVID-19 cases.

The ethyl alcohol donation was brought to Metro Manila through the assistance of the Metropac Movers, Inc., PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) and the Makati Medical Center Foundation.

“This is the initial delivery.  More are coming.  We are exerting all efforts to get supplies of materials and equipment that are badly needed in protecting our health workers but are very difficult to secure.  This is critical in the fight against COVID-19,” said PLDT and MPIC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Meanwhile, One Meralco Foundation donated 1,000 masks to frontline workers at the Rizal Medical Center in Pasig City. Another 1,000 masks were distributed to the frontline workers at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.

Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Inc. of TV5 gave away masks and soap to the frontline health workers at the National Children’s Hospital. The mask and soap donations were provided by Philex Mining Corporation and Beiersdorf Philippines, Inc. (NIVEA Philippines), respectively.

The PSF and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation also deployed ten buses to the Philippine Army. These will be used for ten days to help transport frontline health workers.

In support of ongoing efforts of the PSF, members of MVP Rewards may also convert their rewards to donations via the MVP Rewards app or mvprewards.ph. Donations will be used in the purchase of care packs for frontline health workers, checkpoint officers, emergency response teams and communities in need during the quarantine period. The service is currently available to enrolled MVP Rewards accounts of PLDT Home, Smart, Sun, TNT, Cignal and Maynilad, as well as Delos Santos Medical Center, Makati Medical Center and Easy Trip RFID.

The Metro Pacific Tollways Group will also be distributing relief goods to around 220 barangays along NLEX, SCTEX, and Cavitex.

Meantime, PLDT continued to provide connectivity for government agencies at the frontlines of implementing enhanced quarantine measures.  PLDT installed free WiFi Internet and free landline calls in some areas nationwide, including the Central Command Center in Batangas City. Strategic offices in Lucena, Zamboanga and Davao were also recipients of the free Internet connectivity and free landline calls.

This includes the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center located in Lucena City Hall, Lucena Diversion; Municipal Command Center and the Provincial Information Office in Zamboanga; and the Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Malagos, Davao City. PLDT also provided free Internet connectivity in transportation areas and health centers in General Santos City, including the Bulaong Bus Terminal and City Health local government unit health center.

PLDT wireless unit, Smart continues to provide communication as aid in the form of Wi-Fi connectivity, SIMs, wireless devices, electronic load, and its Infocast SMS broadcast solution to various LGUs, government agencies and their response teams.

Gabay Guro celebrates 11th year Anniversary with ‘Grand Gathering’ for teachers at MOA Arena on Sept. 23

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PLDT-Smart Foundation’s education advocacy and flagship program Gabay Guro is celebrating its 11th anniversary by bringing together thousands of teachers from all over the country for the much-awaited Grand Gathering 2018 on September 23, Sunday, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Grand Gathering 2018 event is in time for National Teacher’s Month.   

The event is exclusive to teachers, and admission is FREE. For a chance to secure tickets, teachers may visit Gabay Guro's official Facebook account at www.facebook.com/gabayguro and follow its official accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @PLDTGabayGuro for updates.

Organized as the biggest tribute for Filipino teachers, the star-studded event features celebrity performances led by Megastar Sharon Cuneta, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Ogie Alcasid, Martin Nievera, Jaya, Gabby Concepcion, Randy Santiago, and Christian Bautista, among others.

As a grand treat to teachers, Gabay Guro is also raffling off exciting prizes, including gift certificates, smartphones and gadgets, home appliances, livelihood packages, vehicles, and a brand new house and lot.

“Gabay Guro's annual Grand Gathering is our big 'Thank You' to all our beloved teachers who dedicate their life to the invaluable role of educating our children. They are our partners in nation-building through education, and we look forward to continuing our mission to support and uplift them as we mark our 11th year,” said Gabay Guro Chairperson Chaye Cabal-Revilla.

Award-winning advocacy program

Over the years, Gabay Guro has teamed up with various organizations, including companies within the PLDT Group, to improve the quality of life of teachers and their families by launching livelihood programs for teachers.

The organization has also partnered with local government units to bring the "Grand Gathering" experience to the provinces through the "Teacherfest" celebration, which was recently held in Bataan, Butuan, and Bulacan, and will soon be staged in Ilocos, Cebu, and Davao.

Gabay Guro’s efforts have been recognized by various award-giving bodies including Gawad Tanglaw, Anvil Awards, Philippine Quill Awards, and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers Awards.

Empowering teachers across the country

Established in 2007, Gabay Guro aims to honor and empower teachers across the country through seven pillars: housing and educational facilities; scholarships; trainings; livelihood programs; broadbanding and computerization; innovations; and the Teachers’ Tribute.

Since its founding, Gabay Guro has built and donated over 40 classrooms nationwide and provided over 1,300 scholarship grants through its 47 partner schools. Of its scholars, 800 have graduated, with 234 finishing with honors. Over 500 graduates have also passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers.

Over the years, more than 40,000 educators have also benefited from Gabay Guro's regular training programs, which include personality development, emotional intelligence, English proficiency, information technology, leadership, and creativity, among others. To promote an innovative mindset and unlock opportunities for teachers, school leaders, staff, Gabay Guro also links schools to communities and industries through workshops and interactive seminars.

Gabay Guro Grand Gathering 2018 is made possible by the support of Colgate-Palmolive; Devant; Enchanted Kingdom; FINTQ; Foton; Gen Korean BBQ House; HBC; Honda; Kettle Foods Corp.; Landco; Manila Doctors Hospital; Motorlandia; MPTC; MVP Rewards; MyPhone; PECCI; Penshoppe; PLDT Home; Red Planet Hotels; Reyes Haircutters; SGV Foundation; Smart; Standard Insurance; Stanford University Batch 2018; Sun; Sunsilk; Suzuki; Telescoop; TNT; and Yamaha.

For more information, please visit the Gabay Guro’s official website at www.gabayguro.com and follow the organization's official Twitter and Instagram accounts at @PLDTGabayGuro.

PLDT Gabay Guro gives tribute to teachers in Grand Gathering 2014

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PLDT Gabay Guro (2G), the teacher advocacy group of the PLDT Smart Foundation (PSF) and PLDT Managers' Club Inc., organized a biggest  tribute to teachers as it celebrates National Teachers’ Month in this year’s Grand Gathering event at the SM Mall of Asia Arena last October 5.

Over 20,000 teachers from different parts of the country attended this spectacular celebration for free highlighted by a throwback concert featuring popular celebrities, including Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Side A, The Voice Kids winners, Derek Ramsey, Jonalyn Viray, Dulce, Rachel Alejandro, Manilyn Reynes, Jessa, Dingdong Avanzado, Iya Villania, Alice Dixson, and many more.

2G has been supporting teachers and students who would like to take up the teaching profession for seven years now. 

All of 2G efforts are aligned with its pillars, which are: 

Teachers’ Training that presents new modules on Emotional Intelligence and IT Literacy and Sustainability; 

Housing and Educational Facilities; 

Livelihood Programs; 

Broadbanding and Computerization of Schools; 

Teachers’ Tribute, highlighted by the 2G Grand Gathering.

The Grand Gathering feature the biggest raffle draws, with substantial major prizes that include a house and lot from Camella Homes, a brand new HAIMA car from Laus Group of Companies, an APE Piaggo three-wing van from Auto Italia, 10 PLDT Home Cyberya Internet Café setups, Retailer Phone Kits and Sims from Smart and Sun, and cash prizes.

Among the other raffle prizes are laptops from PLDT HOME Bro, laptop and tablet in-one from Microsoft, electric fan with oven toaster package from Fujidenzo, gift packs from various sponsors, myPad3 from myPhone, Cignal prepaid kits, quad core polaroid platinum tablets from PLDT HOME Telpad, Samsung tab 7, a trip for two to Hongkong, tricycle from Honda Philippines Inc., and a motorcycle from PR Savings Bank.

2G has awarded around 1,000 scholarship grants to aspiring teachers. It has enabled more than 300 scholars to graduate from its 40 partner schools nationwide.

Five of the 2G scholars have continued their quest for higher learning and received Master’s Degree scholarships from the Philippine Women’s University.

2G and PLDT Hong Kong launched last June this year, a scholarship program for Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFW) children and dependents. They also sponsored 110 OFW teacher-candidates in their review and venue fees for the Licensure Examination for teachers.

2G and its partners have also donated some 28 classrooms to various public schools in the country, especially those that are located in the calamity-ravaged areas. It was the first organization to build permanent structures in the form of sturdy classrooms after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that devastated Bohol in 2013. It was likewise one of the first responders in the rehabilitation of typhoon-damaged Leyte.