PLDT, Smart integrate children’s rights in business, a first in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Telco giant PLDT and its wireless arm Smart Communications are integrating children’s rights in their business operations – a first in the Philippines.

“Our country is now faced with the challenge of protecting our children in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. This policy upholds our commitment to create value and generate positive impact for them – not just through CSR (corporate social responsibility) but also embedded right at the core of our business operations,” said PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.

PLDT and Smart partnered with UNICEF in 2018 to craft a set of pro-children corporate policies. This covers the PLDT Group’s human resource and employee training programs, procurement and vendor management protocols, product development, marketing activities, as well as engagements with customer communities.

These policies also embed child safeguarding principles to fortify the group’s continuing efforts towards protecting children online through its enabling technology, customer education efforts, and community partnerships.

Examples of pro-children measures are the strict screening of human resource staff tasked with engaging communities and human resource policies that imbibe principles of non-discrimination. Smart is also developing products with a child safety lens by working with technology companies and developers to protect children online through safety protocols and blocking of child sexual abuse materials. These measures adopt the Children’s Rights and Business Principles global framework developed by the UN agency, together with the UN Global Compact and Save the Children.

“We are positive that this will create a significant ripple effect that will benefit millions of children in the country now and into the future. We fully recognize the role of Filipino children as the future shapers of the nation and shareholders of our business. It is imperative to take action now, not just to contribute toward nation-building, but also to future-proof our business,” Pangilinan said.