PLDT and Smart have expanded their eBiznovation initiative, a digital upskilling-to-ecommerce program that aims to provide local entrepreneurs, cooperatives and Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), with the right digital tools to help them grow their businesses online.

Scaling up eBiznovation, PLDT and Smart have started utilizing other platforms to promote the program and encourage more partners to extend opportunities from digitalization among all sectors.

“At PLDT and Smart, we believe that collaboration is key to advancing the goals of eBiznovation and achieving them more efficiently. By working with like-minded partners from various industries, we are able to boost our efforts to digitally upskill and assist local enterprises, helping them to increase productivity and income through digital technology,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.

Leaders and experts from the technology industry joined the discourse on the vital role of supporting small- to medium-scale local enterprises and their contribution towards the country’s economic growth at the recent Philippine Digital Convention 2023 (PH Digicon 2023) organized by PLDT Enterprise.

“Our clients and partners have so far done an amazing job in driving the evolving digital landscape of the MSMEs. During this gathering at Digicon, PLDT Enterprise recognizes and celebrates MSMEs as the life force of our country,” said Euan Rex Toralballa, Customer Relationship Management Head for Luzon at PLDT Enterprise.

“TikTok Shop connects Filipino MSMEs with the wider TikTok community, allowing them to reach a broader market and expand from offline to online. Through PLDT and Smart’s eBiznovation Buy Local Bazaar on TikTok Shop and in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry, we have enabled Filipino farmers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to gain direct access to consumers and expand their revenue opportunities by onboarding them onto TikTok Shop. We are committed to building the digital capacity of Filipino MSMEs and enabling them to grow and expand their business,” said Toff Rada, Head of Public Policy for TikTok in the Philippines.

A digital convention where global industry mavens, thought leaders, and pioneers in technology come together to help drive technological enablement for enterprises, PH Digicon has served as a hub for innovation, digital transformation, and technology advancements in the Philippines.

The PLDT Group continuously finds ways to promote inclusive technologies that can help boost livelihood opportunities among farmers and fisherfolk, leaving no one behind. The eBiznovation program also highlights the PLDT Group’s support to the government’s Go Digital Pilipinas Movement as a founding member of the Digital Infrastructure pillar of the Private Sector Advisory Council, which seeks to uplift the lives of Filipinos through adoption of digital services.