PLDT, Smart Help 1,279 MSMEs Build Digital Skills Across 21 Communities

For rice producer Queen G. Anino of Santa Cruz, Laguna, learning how to promote Cabisera Rice online marked an important step toward reaching more customers.

A digital upskilling workshop supported by PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. helped Anino begin building the product’s social media presence while learning modern ways to market the community’s rice.

“The training came at the right time because we are just starting to promote Cabisera Rice and are only beginning to build our social media presence,” Anino said.

Her experience reflects the growing need for practical digital knowledge among Filipino micro, small and medium enterprises.

During the first half of 2026, PLDT and Smart conducted digital learning sessions in 21 communities across the Philippines, reaching 1,279 MSMEs, agripreneurs, tourism stakeholders and livelihood beneficiaries.

The workshops formed part of the group’s #KonektedforLivelihoods initiative, which helps entrepreneurs develop the skills and confidence needed to participate in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Practical digital skills for small businesses

The community-based sessions covered several areas that small business owners can immediately apply to their operations:

• Digital entrepreneurship
• Social media content creation
• Online marketing
• Branding and product presentation
• Smartphone photography
• Cybersecurity and online scam awareness

PLDT and Smart conducted the activities with government, industry and community partners, including the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Social Welfare and Development, International Trade Centre Digital-PINAS initiative and participating local government units.

Maria Charisma Bea Agarao, executive assistant to the mayor of Santa Cruz, said digital platforms can help farmers, fisherfolk and small entrepreneurs respond to changing consumer trends and improve their marketing and sales.

Santa Cruz served as one of the partner venues for a community-based Digital-PINAS MSME workshop, with PLDT and Smart supporting the program as its sole telecommunications partner.

Helping entrepreneurs present products online

Participants also learned how better branding, photography and product presentation could help them move beyond traditional word-of-mouth selling.

Angelica Martinez of the Rural Improvement Club Kalinga Center said the training showed the group how to use a mobile phone to present its products more effectively.

In Los Baños, Laguna, Rafael J. Jumawid of the Los Baños Municipal Cooperative Development Council shared how the smartphone photography session changed the way members approached product promotion.

The sessions showed participants that growing online does not always require expensive equipment. A mobile phone, paired with better lighting, framing and storytelling, can help small enterprises create clearer and more appealing product content.

Digital training for tourism MSMEs

Tourism entrepreneurs also participated in learning sessions held with CAITO CALABARZON and the Hospitality Alliance Group of Subic Bay Freeport.

The workshops helped participants strengthen their use of short-form videos, including Reels, to promote destinations, services and travel experiences.

They also raised awareness of online scams targeting travel businesses—an increasingly important concern as more bookings, inquiries and customer transactions move online.

Connectivity paired with practical knowledge

John Eric Alviz, vice president and head of SME Growth Marketing, Digital and Trade at PLDT Enterprise, said supporting MSMEs requires more than providing access to technology.

Entrepreneurs also need reliable connectivity, practical digital solutions and opportunities to learn how these tools can support their operations, marketing and growth.

Stephanie V. Orlino, assistant vice president and head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart, emphasized that digital skills create greater value when entrepreneurs can immediately apply them to their livelihoods.

Through partnerships with government agencies, industry organizations and local communities, the initiative aims to help participants confidently market their products, protect their businesses and reach more customers online.

For entrepreneurs like Anino, these skills offer a practical path from producing a quality local product to telling its story in a marketplace that increasingly begins on a screen.

Through #KonektedforLivelihoods, PLDT and Smart plan to continue working with partners to strengthen Filipino entrepreneurs’ digital capabilities and create more opportunities for community-based businesses.