In celebration of the National Cooperative Month, PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc (Smart), in partnership with the Province of Lanao del Sur (LDS), recently upskilled over 40 Meranaw cooperatives on the use of Artificial Intelligence in content creation, through the LDS Provincial Cooperative Office.

“We have been partnering with the local government of Lanao del Sur for several years now, and we at PLDT and Smart remain committed to working with like-minded organizations whose goals are aligned with ours. We will continue to create and implement more programs to help bring the Meranaw people into the digital economy,” said Judee Caroline O. Chaves, Mindanao Relations Head at PLDT and Smart.

The participants, whose businesses ranged from textiles to food production, learned to maximize the use of AI applications to create promotional content for their products and services, and use these tools responsibly.

Ashadie Alonto, LDS Provincial Cooperative Officer, said, “On behalf of Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. and Vice Gov. Mohammad Khalid R. Adiong, we thank PLDT and Smart for helping us equip our cooperatives with modern technologies like these AI tools which significantly contribute to their business operations today.”

This initiative is part of the PLDT Group’s eBizNovation program, designed to provide coops and MSMEs with access to technology and upskilling trainings.

Twenty-four-year-old Shanee Lomondot of Mamaanun Cooperative which specializes in food products, had plans to expand her market outside Lanao del Sur. Through the eBizNovation program, she now has the know-how to enhance their cooperative’s social media page.

She said, “As one of the younger members of the coop, I have more opportunities to explore these tools. I used to post only photos when promoting our products and had never tried creating posters before. With the knowledge gained from this session, I can now improve our social media page by creating more effective content using AI.”

Supporting PLDT and Smart’s eBizNovation program and other initiatives to uplift the livelihoods of Filipinos across the country is the Group’s integrated fixed and wireless networks. The PLDT Group’s continued investments in its network are aligned with the Group’s commitment to narrow the digital divide and provide connectivity to all, reinforcing the Group’s support for the Government’s digitalization mission by expanding reliable internet access nationwide, including to Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas.