Bringing opportunities to indigenous communities

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The municipality of Impasugong is a first-class municipality in Bukidnon. Known as the province, tribal capital, the town is home to different indigenous groups, primarily Higaonons, and other tribes like Talaandig and Umayamnon.

While indigenous culture flourish in the town, poverty persists. With farming as their main source of livelihood, most IPs lack access to post-harvest equipment and alternative markets for their produce.

To improve their socio-economic conditions, the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) entered a partnership with local social enterprise, Kauyagan Savers Multipurpose Cooperative, (KSMPC) in 2019 which will increase the income of 250 smallholder farmers in three upland barangays in the municipality.

Impasugong Crops Development Project


The Impasugong Crops Development project involves providing capital and transfer of technology to Kauyagan and the IP farmers for production and consolidation of coffee, corn, and abaca fibers. It also aims to equip the farmers with knowledge on production and farm management, marketing skills, post-harvest handling and financial literacy.

“We partnered with Kauyagan and connected them to PhilFIDA and other line agencies for technology transfer and other support that they may be able to provide,” PEF Senior Area Officer Nikki Along said.

The collaboration has since paid off: the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also donated three (3) units of stripping machines, one (1) decorticating machine, improved hand-stripping devices, and a livelihood center/ buying station for the Abaca. PhilFIDA meanwhile trained and accredited Kauyagan as Abaca consolidators.




Impact to social enterprise and households

In the first year of its implementation, the income sharing scheme enabled farmers to receive at least Php .20 to Php .50 per kilo of corn and Php 2 to Php 3 per kilo of abaca fiber they harvest, depending on the quality.

According to Imelda Esteban, manager of Kauyagan, the project provided a big leap in the development of the lives of the farmers.

“Noon ang mga farmers, magbebenta sa mga big traders. Sa partnership namin with PEF, nabigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga farmers na maibenta ang kanilang mga tanim sa aming cooperative and we are providing them with more competitive prices,” she said.

Imelda said that farmers were also able to enjoy access to facilities from the government and other organizations for them to enhance their productivity.

The crops development project is now in its second year, with more capacity development and increase in premiums for IP farmers underway for them.

The Peace and Equity Foundation aspires to drive positive change in poor Filipino household communities by investing in social enterprises that will provide them with viable livelihood and better access to basic services. We work with partners who share this vision by developing models and best practices that will steer social enterprises to scale up. Founded in October 2001, our Foundation is the steward of an endowment fund and registered as a non-stock, non-profit organization based in Quezon City, Philippines.

PLDT Enterprise, Cloudstaff cement decade-long partnership with expanded productivity services

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

PLDT Enterprise—the B2B arm of the largest integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines PLDT—and Cloudstaff Modern Workforce—one of the Philippine’s leading business outsourcing providers—continue to strengthen their ongoing partnership with the signing of a new three year service extension agreement to further drive innovation and enhance business productivity.

 

The latest deal fortifies the longstanding partnership between Cloudstaff and PLDT Enterprise as the outsourcing leader extended its decade long association with Google Workspace, renewing licenses for its 3000+ staff spread across the Philippines.

 

“We would like to express our utmost gratitude to Cloudstaff Modern Workforce for their continued trust in us after all these years. Likewise, we at PLDT Enterprise convey our unbreakable commitment in helping their business grow and become even more successful with our end-to-end digital services,” said Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President & CEO and SVP & Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups.

Cloudstaff’s long association with the PLDT Group has organically evolved throughout the partnership, originally starting as a telecom provider, before transforming into a fully-fledged solutions partner.

PLDT has previously provided Cloudstaff internet connectivity through PLDT ClarkTel and wireless mobile plans via its wireless arm Smart Communications. Today, PLDT Enterprise, now supplies Cloudstaff with a series of world class digital solutions including Smart Bizload and Messaging Suite, Google Workspace, and Smart 5G Rocket WiFi through its ICT arm ePLDT to further boost Cloudstaff’s operations and productivity.

Cloudstaff CEO, Lloyd Ernst, says the secret to the partnership's ongoing success and longevity stems from the agile and adaptable way in which both organizations approach their operations.

“The Cloudstaff - PLDT relationship is a powerful combination,” Ernst said. “For us to succeed in a competitive and ever changing global market, we need a partner that is both reliable and adaptable, and never have we seen these qualities shine through more than in the way PLDT has provided a way forward throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic.”

“For over ten years now, Cloudstaff has been striving to change the way the world approaches outsourcing through the use of technology driven solutions and Google and PLDT have been there with us every step of the way,” Ernst added.

Likewise, Chito Franco, PLDT ClarkTel President, also expressed the PLDT Group’s enthusiasm for providing Cloudstaff with the leading digital solutions needed for conducting business on the global stage.

"For the last ten years, we at the PLDT Group have continuously strived to understand the growing requirements of Cloudstaff for us to provide the most suitable services that will help them reach more customers with their next-generation outsourcing platform. And today, we fortify that commitment especially as we help digitally transform its business," said Franco.

For Cloudstaff’s Head Network and Security engineer, Arvin Cubacub, the extension of the partnership means accelerating Cloudstaff’s rapid growth. “Continuing to have PLDT onboard providing our Google Workspace requirements over the course of the next three years is a key milestone for us. It gives us the confidence we need to grow and expand our services into new global markets, and provides our customers with one of the world’s most versatile and secure platforms, fully backed by PLDT’s unwavering support," he concluded.

For more information, please visit pldtenterprise.com or cloudstaff.com.

 

About PLDT Enterprise

PLDT Enterprise is the preferred digital services partner of the B2B market. As the corporate business unit of the PLDT Group, its vision is to make a positive impact on every single business by simplifying the complex for various industries. With its wide range of fixed line, wireless, and ICT services—which run on the Philippines’ most extensive fiber optic backbone, cellular network, and data center footprint—it continues to deliver solutions that create real value for every customer.

About Cloudstaff

Cloudstaff is a premium outsourcing provider that helps businesses to grow and achieve greater sustainability by providing high quality staff, world class facilities, and removing the burdens of recruitment, HR, and payroll.

With over ten years of operation, Cloudstaff employs over 3000 staff across eight premium office locations in the Philippines, and boasts a 98.1% staff retention rate. Investing heavily in technology and innovation, Cloudstaff is a market leader, providing next generation outsourcing solutions to a global client base.

 

PLDT Enterprise supports Project Balik Buhay for vaccine rollout in Visayas

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the largest integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines PLDT, has teamed up with Project Balik Buhay (PBB) of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) to help fast-track the rollout of COVID vaccination programs in the Visayas, particularly in Cebu.



Together with the Department of Health – Region 7 (DOH7), Regional Development Council – Region 7 (RDC7), Cebu local government units, and other private institutions, PBB is a public-private partnership aimed at saving lives and the livelihood of Cebuanos amid the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.



PLDT Enterprise will provide strong internet connectivity in over 20 vaccination centers in the region to support the program’s data management systems.



DOH-7 Regional Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas expressed his gratitude to all the institutions that have contributed to assist the successful implementation of vaccination programs in the region. “We shall all campaign to have our people get vaccinated so that we can achieve the very critical target of at least 70 percent, if not 100 percent of the population. It is a very difficult task and the health sector itself cannot do this alone,” Bernadas added.



Meanwhile, ePLDT President and CEO and SVP and Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups Jovy Hernandez said that this collaboration is part of PLDT Enterprise’s efforts to help the country rise against this pandemic. “PLDT Enterprise will continue to stand together with other institutions and extend as much assistance as we can to help overcome this crisis through technology,” Hernandez said.



Likewise, PLDT Enterprise AVP and Head of Corporate Relationship Management for Visayas Jimmy Chua added that this PBB partnership is their way of instilling hope to businesses affected in Cebu. “Through supporting the vaccination programs with connectivity, we hope that this would give a boost to industries as we are slowly working our way to recovery,” said Chua.



Since last year, the PLDT Group, through its various business units, has been enabling government initiatives and the private sector in providing relief to Filipinos in the form of affordable and free connectivity, empowerment of communities, and donation drives.



For more information, please visit pldtenterprise.com



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