PLDT Inc. and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. reiterated their support for the government’s digitalization initiatives.
The companies said they aim to streamline and transform government processes, narrow the digital divide and implement policies aligned with the government’s vision of a ‘Bagong Pilipinas’.
Among initiatives supported by the PLDT Group is the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA)’s Electronic Business One-Stop Shops (eBOSS) program, which seeks to automate the processing of business permits, related clearances, and licenses in all cities and municipalities across the country, and for which PLDT and Smart are providing an initial 100 computer units to boost the program’s nationwide rollout.
PLDT and Smart also supported Executive Order No. 32 and its implementing rules and regulations (IRR). Issued last year by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., EO 32 streamlined the permitting process for the construction, installation, repair, operation and maintenance of telecommunications and Internet infrastructure in the country, fast-tracking the PLDT Group’s deployment of network infrastructure nationwide.
“Our unwavering support for government efforts to improve public service delivery—by eliminating red tape, fostering private-public collaboration, and advancing digitalization—reflects PLDT Group’s mission to uplift Filipino lives through technology,” said Pamela Felizarta, vice president and department head for joint strategic operations and regulatory affairs at Smart.
According to ARTA, EO 32 has reduced the time required to energize a telco tower to just 59 days, and driven a significant increase in the number of permits approved by local government units, which went up by 48 percent between May 2022 and May 2024.
Smart said it also supports the passage of legislation seeking to lower the cost of internet in the country, such as House Bill No. 10699, or the “Sana All May Internet Act”, which aims to provide cheaper and more accessible internet by removing the spectrum user fee (SUF) on Wi-Fi, aiding the widespread rollout of telco infrastructure nationwide and eventually lowering the cost of telco services.