PLDT Notches Sixfold Increase in Net Promoter Score in Cebu and Dumaguete in May to October

Customers in Cebu and Dumaguete observed improved services following PLDT Home’s rollout of the Cebuano language option in its 171 hotline, resulting in an increase in its Net Promoter Score from May to October 2024.

Since implementation, customer call duration has shortened—from almost 12 minutes per call to a little over 10 minutes. Net promoter scores, which measure customers’ likelihood to recommend a product or service, also improved—from +4 in May to +26 by October 2024.

Callers from the “032” area code have the option to choose between English and Cebuano when they ring the 171 hotline. Selecting Cebuano will connect them to a Cebuano-speaking agent, making it easier to voice concerns, especially for billing inquiries.

This new option was developed through an extensive project that involved translating over 300 scripts, recording voiceovers for hotline menus, and training specialized agents based in Cebu and Dumaguete.

 

“We at PLDT Home continue our commitment to delivering personalized, high-quality service to our customers, ensuring that they feel understood, valued, and at home. This is aligned with the PLDT Group’s dedication to providing accessible and reliable customer service which is a fundamental part of its much broader goal of elevating the quality of overall customer experience,” said Chiqui Abad-Arevalo, Vice President for PLDT Home Customer Care.

PUBG Mobile Teams up with Venom: The Last Dance for a Symbiotic Collaboration

LONDON – October 2024 – PUBG MOBILE, one of the world’s most popular mobile games, is thrilled to announce a promotional collaboration with the highly anticipated film, Venom: The Last Dance, Sony Pictures’ third and final installment in the Venom trilogy.

Launching on October 18, 2024, PUBG MOBILE is proud to celebrate the legacy of one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, allowing players to unleash Venom’s power through a series of special Venom-themed in-game features and events.

This exclusive collaboration invites players to channel Venom’s symbiotic strength through various new in-game features including a Black Symbiote Arm, Black Symbiote Warhorses, and Black Symbiote Clusters. In addition to these exciting features, players will also have the chance to win rare, Venom-themed rewards throughout the event period.

The new collaboration will introduce an array of new features in PUBG MOBILE including:

● Black Symbiote Arm: This item allows players to cover their arms in symbiote, enabling special movement mechanics. Aiming at fixed targets like buildings or trees enables quick movement while aiming at mobile targets such as other players or airdrops will pull them closer. Players can also launch long distances by grabbing the ground with their symbiote-enhanced arm.

● Black Symbiote Warhorses: When carrying the Black Symbiote Arm in their inventory, players can transform nearby horses or Warhorses into powerful Black Symbiote Warhorses, enhancing mobility across the battleground. While mounted, players can wield the Black Symbiote Lance for melee or throwing attacks. The Black Symbiote Lance will bind hit enemies with symbiote effects without causing damage.

● Black Symbiote Clusters: Special locations across maps like Erangel, Sanhok, Miramar, and Livik will feature Black Symbiote Clusters, making it easier for players to obtain the Black Symbiote Arm and encounter Black Symbiote Warhorses.

● Venom-themed Event and Rewards (October 25th – November 10th, 2024): As part of this collaboration, a special Venom-themed event will launch on October 25th aligning with the release of Venom: The Last Dance in cinemas*. This event will offer PUBG MOBILE players the chance to earn exclusive rewards, including:

○ Venom: The Last Dance Avatar

○ Venom: The Last Dance Avatar Frame

○ Venom: The Last Dance Parachute

○ Venom: The Last Dance Home Statue

In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo is forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.

The collaboration between PUBG MOBILE and Venom: The Last Dance allows fans of both the film and game to experience the final chapter like never before.

The PUBG MOBILE x Venom: The Last Dance collaboration update will be available from October 18th to November 10th. Download and play the game for free on the App Store and Google Play Store. Stay tuned for more information.

Honor of Kings Reveals Details for the Inaugural 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, Jakarta

JAKARTA, INDONESIA, October 2024 – The 2024 Honor of Kings Championship is quickly approaching with the highly-anticipated Honor of Kings event of the year set to kick off on October 12, in Jakarta, Indonesia at the MGP Space. The top 16 Honor of Kings teams from around the world will clash at the event as they compete for a piece of the $1M prize pool, including USD 300K to the winners.

Teams of the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship

Teams at the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, Jakarta will start in a group stage best-of-three battle that will see the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage from October 18. From there, the format will shift to a best-of-five double-elimination bracket that will culminate in a best-of-seven grand final on October 27.

“The 2024 Honor of Kings Championship in Jakarta will celebrate the world’s top Honor of Kings teams and mark a significant milestone in the global esports landscape,” said James Yang, Senior Director of Level Infinite Global Esports Center. “Since our successful global launch earlier this year, we’ve seen players worldwide coming together to enjoy the game. We are excited to welcome the best teams to this Championship, and we can’t wait for the thrilling matches ahead starting next weekend.”

The 16 teams set to compete in the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, Jakarta will be split into four groups, which are:

Group A Indonesia - Dominator Esports Indonesia - Mahadewa Türkiye - FUT Esports Philippines - Blacklist International Group B Malaysia - Nova Esports Saudi Arabia - Team Falcons Indonesia - Kagendra Esports France - Team Vitality

Group C Brazil - Alpha 7 Esports Philippines - BOOM Esports Malaysia - Team Secret  Brazil - Influence Rage Group D Malaysia - Black Shrew Esports Myanmar  - Impunity Esports Hong Kong, China - Fearless Esports HK Singapore - Revenant Esports

Honor of Kings Esports also collaborates with the famous electronic music producer Grabbitz and the Grammy-winning mixing engineer Tom Norris, to craft The Contender, the themed song for the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship. The song captures the indomitable spirit of Honor of Kings Esports, reflecting the relentless pursuit of excellence in esports.

In-Game Event to Create Engaging Experience

During the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, Honor of Kings players can not only enjoy the tournament with friends and community in-game by turning into the live stream in Honor of Kings’ in-game TV but also get a chance to win all the heroes and skins available in Honor of Kings store as of October 1 by completing in-game tasks.

Starting from October 12, Honor of Kings players in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Asia-Pacific regions will have the chance to participate in the quiz game throughout the group stages to the finals. More in-game events are available for players to check out and get in-game rewards.

To create a more engaging experience for players, the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship will have the first-ever virtual observer of honor - Yuhuan - Stellar Songstress, accompanying all players to witness every moment of glory in the Championship. In addition, Yuhuan - Stellar Songstress, along with Princess Frost - Celestial Concert and Mulan-Starsinger, will have virtual performances to celebrate the glory of every team.

The 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, Jakarta, will also see the introduction of the new Zhou Yu-Eclipse Blaze skin to Honor of Kings. This new phoenix-inspired design will feature new armor and flame effects in Zhou Yu’s eyes and hair to showcase his immense power and then streamers that will flow behind him like phoenix feathers. Honor of Kings players can subscribe to the in-game events and watch the matches for the chance to obtain the Eclipse Blaze skin.

The Official Gaming Phone for the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, realme 13+ 5G, offers 120 FPS performance at max, ensuring smooth gameplay. Teams will experience extraordinary gaming performance, featuring advanced VC Cooling Technology for greater heat dissipation and 80W SuperVOOC fast charging.

The 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, Jakarta, will be streamed live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.tv, TikTok, and Honor of Kings’ in-game TV. For more information on Honor of Kings news and the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, follow the game’s official social channels:

Globe Starts Blocking Ai-Generated, CGI, Animated Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

Globe, a staunch advocate for online safety, has started blocking non-photographic imagery (NPI) of child sexual abuse– those made using artificial intelligence, computer-generated imagery (CGI), animation, cartoons, drawings, and other non-live methods– as it ramps up measures against malicious content.

From August 27 to September 27 this year, its first month of implementing this measure, the network blocked 343 URLs and 16 domains containing NPI flagged by its partner Internet Watch Foundation.

The IWF has been at the forefront of combating NPI, recognizing its potential to cause significant harm to viewers and its illegal status in many jurisdictions. On its website, the IWF said even accidental viewing of child sexual abuse material, even those made with CGI or cartoons, “can cause lasting damage for the person who stumbled upon it.”

"Globe is committed to creating a safer online environment for everyone, especially children," said Anton Bonifacio, Globe’s Chief Information Security Officer and Chief AI Officer. "Our intensified efforts to block access to harmful content, including NPI, demonstrate our dedication to protecting children from online sexual exploitation."

Globe's initiative to block NPI is part of its long-standing sustainability campaign #MakeITSafePH, which aims to combat online child sexual abuse and exploitation. The company has invested over $2.7 million in advanced content filtering systems to detect and block illegal content.

In the first half of 2024 alone, Globe blocked access to 1,718 domains and 190,167 URLs related to child sexual abuse materials. The company also deactivated 2,726 domains linked to illegal gambling sites.

Globe's efforts are in line with the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 (Republic Act 9775), which mandates internet service providers (ISPs) to deploy technologies that prevent access to or transmission of child pornography.

To learn more about Globe’s online safety efforts, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/.

PLDT Advocates for Policy Reform to Support PBBM’s GIDA Connectivity Plan

To effectively support its commitment to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s connectivity goals for Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) nationwide, PLDT Inc. (PLDT) continues to advocate for legislative measures that facilitate the efficient expansion of internet access.

PLDT Chief Operating Officer Menardo ‘Butch’ Jimenez Jr., who represented the integrated telco alongside PLDT Chairman, President, and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) at the recent meeting of President Marcos with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), emphasized how policy reform is essential to bridging the digital divide.

Along with its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), PLDT advocates for legislative measures that include streamlining permitting processes, energizing telco towers for uninterrupted service, reviewing the National Building Code on lease payments for telco facilities, and rationalizing Spectrum User Fees (SUF). "Efficient connectivity is not just about technology – it is about economic opportunity. By advocating for legislative measures that support infrastructure expansion, we can stimulate local economies and create opportunities in the very areas that need them the most," Jimenez said.

The representation of PLDT and its wireless unit Smart alongside other local telcos at the PSAC Digital Infrastructure Sector steered by PSAC Lead Convenor Sabin Aboitiz and Sector Head Myla Villanueva, underscores the crucial role of collaboration between the private sector and government in fostering innovation and growth.

PLDT Group’s policy reform push aligns with the Connectivity Plan of PSAC, which targets to activate key GIDA sites within 2024 and a rollout of up to 1,050 new sites by 2028.