PLDT and Smart Help Cagayan De Oro, Misamis Oriental LGUs Bring AI Into Everyday Public Service Work

Artificial intelligence is finding practical use in the day-to-day work of Cagayan de Oro City government employees through PLDT and Smart’s AI-in-a-Box program.

Building on its participation in an AI for LGUs training conducted by PLDT and Smart, the City Government of Cagayan de Oro conducted its own AI orientation for employees across its offices, helping them discover practical ways to use the technology in their everyday work—from drafting memoranda and preparing communications to creating other office documents using AI.

"The biggest lesson for our employees was realizing that getting better results from AI starts with asking better questions," said MJ Meca, Assistant Department Manager of the City Management Information Systems and Innovation Department (CMISID) of the Cagayan de Oro City Government. "As they learned how to write more effective prompts, they also became more confident using AI to support their day-to-day work."

Launched in 2025, AI-in-a-Box is the PLDT Group's initiative to help bring artificial intelligence closer to communities by combining digital tools, connectivity, and training to help them explore practical applications of emerging technologies in their work.

As part of the initiative, PLDT and Smart, with support from its social outreach arm, the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), recently turned over AI-in-a-Box kits to the local government units of Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental. Each kit includes a laptop, Smart 5G Max Turbo WiFi, a mobile phone, initial Smart Prepaid load cards, and premium access to AI tools, designed to help partner LGUs integrate AI into day-to-day operations and support more efficient public service delivery.

"The goal is to help LGUs use AI effectively and responsibly, while showing how it can empower government offices to serve their communities better," said Roby Alampay, Head of PLDT and Smart's Public Engagement Group. "We also hope to encourage local governments to adopt a more strategic approach to AI so they can maximize its benefits across different programs and services."

The AI-in-a-Box turnover followed PLDT and Smart’s AI training last April, where government employees learned the practical, safe, ethical, and responsible use of AI in the workplace. The session also guided participants on how to craft effective prompts, assess AI-generated outputs, and use the technology responsibly in a government setting.

The Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental also recognized the value of combining AI tools with practical training to help strengthen government operations and improve the quality of work outputs. "The training helped us maximize AI by teaching us how to write better prompts, resulting in outputs that are more accurate, relevant, and useful for our work," said Engr. Candido B. Balaba Jr., Head of the Project Monitoring and Inspection System of Misamis Oriental.

Through AI-in-a-Box, PLDT and Smart are bringing practical AI tools, connectivity, and capacity-building support closer to local governments as they explore how technology can help make public service more efficient, responsive, and accessible.

These efforts form part of PLDT and Smart's #KonektedforEducation advocacy and the Group’s broader commitment to advance digital inclusion, strengthen local digital capabilities, and encourage innovation in public service, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Vivo Philippines Names First GEN V Campus Ambassadors to Champion Youth Leadership

MANILA, Philippines – Vivo Philippines has officially announced the first five members of its GEN V Campus Ambassador Program, following the grand finals held on July 12 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall. The event marked the successful conclusion of the company's first nationwide search for student ambassadors, highlighting the growing influence of young leaders in digital communities and campus engagement.

The GEN V Campus Ambassador Program attracted student leaders from colleges and universities across the National Capital Region. Designed to empower students with leadership opportunities and real-world marketing experience, the initiative reflects Vivo Philippines' commitment to nurturing the next generation of creators, communicators, and community builders.

After four mall auditions and a wildcard selection round, 15 finalists earned spots in the grand finals. Participants showcased their talents through singing, dancing, acting, and public speaking while presenting their vision for making a positive impact within their respective schools and communities.

The first-ever GEN V Campus Ambassadors are Rhea Mea T. Parcon of World Citi Colleges, Beverly I. Cantos of Mapúa University, John Brent Domaya of Centro Escolar University Manila, Jerah Bernard L. Eusebio of the University of the Philippines Diliman, and Icen Rose Vivo, also from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Throughout the competition, contestants emphasized themes such as leadership, creativity, inclusivity, education, confidence, and authentic storytelling. Their presentations demonstrated how digital platforms can be used to inspire fellow students and strengthen campus communities.

According to Liu Lu, Brand Marketing Director of Vivo Philippines, the program was established to identify students who can communicate authentically, collaborate effectively, and grow alongside the brand. The selected ambassadors will officially begin their one-year term on August 1, 2026.

As ambassadors, they will receive a ₱5,000 monthly cash incentive for 12 months, along with exclusive mentorship sessions conducted by Vivo Philippines' marketing professionals. Training will cover branding, digital marketing, campaign execution, and communication strategies. They will also participate in product launches, marketing campaigns, and major company events, gaining valuable hands-on industry experience.

Top-ranked ambassador Rhea Mea T. Parcon shared that the recognition reinforces her belief that everyone deserves to feel seen and encouraged students to pursue opportunities with confidence. John Brent Domaya expressed his goal of creating meaningful community impact, while Icen Rose Vivo described the ambassadorship as a responsibility to represent both Vivo Philippines and her university with authenticity, creativity, and purpose.

The GEN V Campus Ambassador Program underscores Vivo Philippines' long-term commitment to developing student leaders by combining education, mentorship, and practical marketing experience. Through this initiative, the company continues to strengthen its partnerships with academic institutions while empowering young Filipinos to become future innovators, storytellers, and leaders in their communities.

Globe Business Encourages Enterprises to Move Beyond Traditional BCPs with Multi-Layered Resilience Strategies

As organizations revisit their Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) amid growing operational, infrastructure, and cybersecurity risks, Globe Business, the enterprise arm of Globe, is encouraging enterprises to move beyond traditional, single-point BCPs and adopt holistic, multi-layered resilience strategies. These approaches help ensure that critical systems, communications, and operations remain available even during unexpected disruptions.

Historically, BCPs are centered on redundant connectivity and data recovery capabilities. Today, disruptions can extend far beyond technology systems, affecting how employees communicate, how operations are coordinated, and how quickly organizations can respond to changing conditions.

One of the biggest challenges organizations face during disruptions is maintaining reliable communications when local infrastructure is affected. To help address this need, Globe Business has integrated Globe Starlink into its enterprise resilience portfolio. The satellite-powered connectivity solution provides organizations with an additional layer of communication that can support operations when terrestrial infrastructure is temporarily unavailable due to natural disasters, power interruptions, or other localized disruptions.

"Business continuity today is about ensuring organizations can continue operating and communicating during disruptions," said Marlon Cruz, Globe Business Assistant Vice President. "Many companies have already strengthened their cloud and cybersecurity capabilities, but maintaining connectivity when local infrastructure is affected remains a challenge."

Unlike traditional satellite services that require dedicated equipment or specialized devices, Globe Starlink enables compatible LTE smartphones to connect to satellite coverage when terrestrial networks are unavailable. This capability can help organizations support business-critical communications, particularly for personnel operating in remote locations or areas affected by service disruptions where reliable connectivity is essential.

The growing importance of communication resilience is prompting organizations across industries to reassess how they approach business continuity. Beyond protecting data and applications, enterprises are looking at ways to ensure employees, field teams, and decision-makers remain connected during periods of disruption.

For logistics and supply chain companies, maintaining communication with field personnel and drivers during severe weather events or network outages can be critical to keeping operations moving. Additional connectivity options can help support coordination across delivery routes, warehouses, and command centers while minimizing potential disruptions to customers and partners.

Financial institutions can benefit from enhanced communication resilience that helps key personnel remain connected during localized outages. Reliable communications support timely decision-making, operational continuity, and customer service, particularly during situations that require rapid response and coordination.

Meanwhile, construction and real estate companies often manage projects across multiple locations, including remote or developing areas where connectivity may be limited. Satellite-enabled communications can help field teams coordinate activities, share updates, and maintain visibility across project sites using devices they already carry.

As organizations continue to strengthen their business continuity strategies, resilience is becoming an enterprise-wide priority that extends beyond data protection and disaster recovery. Connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and workforce communications all play important roles in helping businesses remain operational during periods of disruption.

By advancing breakthrough capabilities like satellite connectivity into its managed, enterprise-grade suite of ICT solutions, Globe Business is helping local organizations move past traditional backup limitations. Today’s BCP is no longer just about recovering from a disruption; it is about ensuring the business never stops.

Roblox’s Family Zone Helps Parents and Children Explore Together

MANILA, Philippines - Today we’re launching Family Zone, a game built by Roblox and developer MindTrust to teach parents and caregivers about the platform. Family Zone fosters co-play between children and their parents and facilitates conversations about digital safety in an entertaining way.

It’s designed to bridge the gap between generations, giving parents a fun, safe, and active way to co-play and bond with their kids in the digital world. In the game, parents and children play together to learn platform basics, like how to control an avatar in a 3D space and how to set and adjust parental controls. They can also learn about broader online safety topics, designed to boost digital literacy on sites beyond Roblox.

We built Family Zone because the best way to learn about Roblox is to play on Roblox. While most parents play online games, many are still unfamiliar with Roblox’s games and settings, which may limit their ability to apply parental controls in a fully informed way. Family Zone is designed to help support ongoing dialogue between parents and children, with a level of understanding that comes from firsthand experience.

Family Zone flips the traditional learning dynamic. Children guide their parents’ first steps on the platform, demonstrating how to navigate and explore the digital space. When parents follow their child’s lead, they can play with full control over avatar movements and navigation.

Family Zone empowers parents with interactive lessons around safety and Roblox’s industry-leading safety guardrails and features. We guide parents through our robust parental controls, which allow those with linked accounts to set screen-time limits, manage spending, choose whom their child connects with, and manage what games they can play. We offer rewards, such as exclusive avatar items, for players who complete in-game tutorials and provide families with a variety of age-appropriate experiences.

We’re working with global safety experts and leading organizations to design additional modules accessible through Family Zone that cover critical topics such as scam prevention, bullying, and strategies to identify and avoid predatory behavior. For example, we are working with Koko, a leading mental health nonprofit, as well as Playerthree and leading researchers at the Lab for Scalable Mental Health at Northwestern University to design a game to help kids and teens develop resilience in the face of bullying.

Family Zone will continue to add new educational content and co-play opportunities where families can enjoy new experiences on Roblox together.

Lenovo Accelerates Enterprise AI Adoption with Production-Ready Agentic AI Solutions

Artificial intelligence has become a strategic priority for businesses worldwide, but many organizations still struggle with the complexity and time required to move AI projects from concept to production. Lengthy development cycles, integration challenges, and governance concerns often delay implementation, preventing companies from realizing the full value of their AI investments.

Lenovo is addressing these challenges by introducing production-ready agentic AI solutions that enable enterprises to deploy AI-powered applications in as little as one week. Through its Lenovo AI Library, part of the Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage™ portfolio, the company is helping organizations accelerate AI adoption while maintaining enterprise-grade security, governance, and operational control.

One of Lenovo’s standout innovations is the Knowledge Super Agent, which has demonstrated measurable business impact. Independent analysis revealed that the solution reduced time spent on knowledge-related tasks by 30%, translating into savings of up to 120 hours per employee each year. By automating information retrieval, streamlining workflows, and delivering relevant insights faster, businesses can improve employee productivity while allowing teams to focus on higher-value strategic work.

Speed is another major advantage of Lenovo’s AI approach. Organizations leveraging Lenovo’s AI solutions have reportedly reached production up to 24 times faster than those relying on custom-built AI implementations. This accelerated deployment enables businesses to respond more quickly to market demands, reduce implementation risks, and achieve faster returns on their AI investments.

The Lenovo AI Library includes a growing collection of prebuilt AI agents designed for real-world enterprise applications. These production-ready solutions support critical functions across manufacturing, retail, and healthcare, offering capabilities such as predictive maintenance, automated quality inspection, enhanced customer engagement, and operational optimization. Instead of starting from scratch, organizations can deploy industry-specific AI solutions that are designed to solve common business challenges.

Companies are already benefiting from Lenovo’s practical AI strategy. Businesses are using their AI agents to improve supply chain visibility, generate customer insights more efficiently, and support faster, data-driven decision-making. These capabilities help organizations increase operational efficiency while maintaining the flexibility to scale AI initiatives as business needs evolve.

As enterprises continue to invest heavily in artificial intelligence, the focus is shifting from experimentation to delivering measurable business outcomes. Lenovo’s production-ready AI ecosystem provides organizations with a faster, more secure, and scalable path to AI adoption. By reducing deployment times and offering proven industry use cases, Lenovo is enabling businesses to transform AI from a promising technology into a practical competitive advantage.