Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT), Co. chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said the telecommunications and digital service provider is emerging stronger from the pandemic, with the company poised to continue momentum in the first half amid the disruptions brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic.
Pangilinan said during PLDT’s virtual annual stockholders’ meeting that the company’s service revenues, as well as telco core income for the first six months, is likely to improve over last year despite the pandemic.
Pangilinan admitted PLDT’s revenues were hit hard in the first four weeks of the lockdown, but has seen a steady and upward march since mid-April and continues up to this month.
However, Pangilinan said the pandemic has exposed certain weaknesses in the country which must be addressed “if we are to be better prepared for the next catastrophe.”
He said such weaknesses relate to supply chain disruption, deficits in health infrastructure, distribution of subsidies under the social amelioration program, digitalization of education and health, and food insufficiency and inadequacies in logistics.
As such, Pangilinan said PLDT has set a digital agenda for recovery, which it is prepared to work with the government for application.
Among these solutions is a digital map of the national supply chain that would allow tracking of the source of raw materials for the manufacture of food and pharmaceutical products, and the markets they go to.
He said PLDT is also working with its group of hospitals in supplying medical services remotely. Likewise, its enterprise segment is part of the technical working group of the Department of Education working to digitalize the education system.
“We want to ensure that no student and no teacher-public or private-are left behind,” Pangilinan said.
Photo source: commons.deped.gov.ph, hardwarezone.com.ph
