More than 100 farmers, fisherfolk, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Laguna are gaining the skills needed to participate in the digital economy through Digital-PINAS, a capacity-building initiative led by the International Trade Centre (ITC).
The program, formally known as the Joint Programme on Inclusive, Competitive, and Responsible Digital Philippines, delivers community-based digital entrepreneurship workshops designed to help local businesses strengthen their online presence and expand their market reach.
Supporting the initiative as its sole telecommunications partner are PLDT and Smart Communications through the group’s #KonektedforLivelihoods program.
Training sessions were recently conducted in the municipalities of Santa Cruz, Pila, Victoria, and Los Baños, where participants learned practical digital skills that can be applied directly to their businesses.
PLDT and Smart representatives led workshops on smartphone photography and cybersecurity awareness, helping participants create more compelling product images for online selling while teaching them how to recognize and avoid online scams. To support the training, the companies also distributed Smart Prepaid Pocket WiFi devices and load cards to participants.
“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,” said Lorna Bondoc, Lead ITC Digital Expert for Digital-PINAS.
She added that reliable internet connectivity remains essential in extending digital opportunities to underserved communities, making PLDT and Smart valuable partners in the program.
For PLDT and Smart, the initiative aligns with the group’s broader commitment to inclusive economic growth.
“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,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, Assistant Vice President and Head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart. “Our role goes beyond connectivity because these sessions are meant to give participants both the skills and the confidence to compete as digital entrepreneurs.”
The workshops have already begun making an impact across participating communities.
In Santa Cruz, members of the Coalition Alliance of Farmers in Santa Cruz, Laguna (CAFSCL) received training on logo creation and smartphone photography to help establish their online presence.
“From being ‘just farmers,’ our members can now become farmer-entrepreneurs,” said Queen Anino, secretary of CAFSCL.
Meanwhile, in Pila, around 40 farmer-MSMEs and local entrepreneurs, including members of the Pila Laguna Agriculture Cooperative, applied their newly learned smartphone photography techniques to showcase their own products.
In Victoria, women entrepreneurs Jennifer Soria of Momshie Jen’s Bites and Filominas Espiritu of Pinky’s Pasalubong explored ways to improve the presentation of their products on social media platforms.
Participants in Los Baños, including cooperative leaders from the Municipal Cooperative Development Council and partner organizations, also underwent hands-on product photography training.
“This is excellent training for entrepreneurs like us,” said Rafael J. Jumawid, vice chairman of the council.
Through #KonektedforLivelihoods, PLDT and Smart continue to partner with organizations such as the ITC to promote digital entrepreneurship among MSMEs and help equip local businesses with the tools needed to compete in an increasingly digital marketplace.
Digital-PINAS is funded by the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund with contributions from the European Union and is implemented by the International Trade Centre, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with key Philippine government agencies led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
