Digital-PINAS, PLDT, Smart transform Laguna farmers, fisherfolk, small biz owners into digital entrepreneurs

Over a hundred farmers, fisherfolk, and small business owners across the province of Laguna are now ready to become digital entrepreneurs, through a training conducted by the International Trade Centre (ITC) under the Digital-PINAS initiative, or the Joint Programme on Inclusive, Competitive, ​and Responsible Digital Philippines​.

Digital-PINAS brings community-based MSME workshops to local communities, with support from sole telco partner PLDT and Smart through the group’s #KonektedforLivelihoods initiative.

In the workshops conducted in the towns of Santa Cruz, Pila, Victoria, and Los Baños, PLDT and Smart representatives held sessions on smartphone photography and cybersecurity awareness, to enable participants to better showcase their products online, while protecting themselves from falling victim to online scams. The Group also distributed Smart Prepaid pocket wifi units and load cards to support the sessions.

“True digital transformation in the countryside isn’t about giving small business owners complicated software they don’t need. It is about taking the fear out of technology and showing a farmer or a local food vendor that a smartphone can be a powerful tool to protect their daily harvest, reach new buyers, and secure their family’s income right from their farms or kitchen tables. But without internet connectivity, bringing this digital transformation to the most in need is challenging. We are proud to count PLDT and Smart as our partner in supporting internet access during our trainings under Digital-PINAS and enhancing the connectivity of small businesses across the Philippines,” said Lorna Bondoc, Lead ITC Digital Expert, Digital-PINAS.

“Our participation in Digital-PINAS reflects the PLDT Group’s broader commitment to inclusive growth, particularly for communities that have long faced barriers to entry in the digital economy. But our role goes beyond connectivity, because these sessions are meant to give the participants both the skills and the confidence to compete as digital entrepreneurs,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart.

In Santa Cruz, the logo creation and smartphone photography modules gave members of the Coalition Alliance of Farmers in Santa Cruz, Laguna the foundation to begin building their online presence. “From being ‘just farmers’, our members can now become farmer-entrepreneurs,” said Queen Anino, Secretary of CAFSCL.

In Pila, 40 farmer-MSMEs and local business owners, including members of the Pila Laguna Agriculture Cooperative, applied smartphone photography techniques to their own products on-site.

In Victoria, women entrepreneurs Jennifer Soria of Momshie Jen’s Bites and Filominas Espiritu of Pinky’s Pasalubong learned to improve their products’ appearance on social media.

In Los Baños, cooperative leaders from the Municipal Cooperative Development Council and partner organizations learned the correct process of practical product photography. “This is excellent training for entrepreneurs like us,” according to Rafael J. Jumawid, Vice Chairman of the council.

Through its #KonektedforLivelihoods, the PLDT Group partners with likeminded institutions like the ITC through initiatives like Digital-PINAS, to help advance digital entrepreneurship among MSMEs. Digital-PINAS is funded by the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund with generous contributions from the European Union, and implemented by ITC, the International Labour Organization, and the UN Development Programme, alongside key government agencies led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology.