PLDT, Smart conduct digital literacy training for seniors

CEBU, Philippines — More than 200 senior citizens from Carcar City, Cebu took part in a mental health awareness and digital literacy training session for the elderly.

This event was conducted by PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) in collaboration with Carcar City’s Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) and the French non-governmental organization Passerelles Numériques Philippines (PNPh).

“It is always a meaningful experience whenever we conduct this digital training for our senior citizens. We are grateful for this partnership with LGU Carcar City and PNPh, which allowed us to promote our digital inclusion advocacy to more seniors in Cebu,” said Marylou B. Gocotano, Stakeholder Management Visayas Relations head at PLDT and Smart.

Highlighting the PLDT group’s pioneering inclusion program, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Advocacy through Technology (IDEATe), along with its #BeCybersmart anti-SMShing campaign, the training aims to help Carcar City’s government empower its senior citizens by enhancing their digital skills and offering practical tips on avoiding text and online scams, including various forms of phishing.

According to Gocotano, the initiative also includes a mental health awareness session to guide the participants in managing their mental health while navigating the world of digital technology and social media.

“The insights we learned from this training will serve as our defense against scams and will enable us to improve our daily activities with the help of technology. We thank LGU Carcar City and its partner organizations PLDT and Smart, for their efforts to empower us, senior citizens,” said Arturo A. Unabia, Carcar City Senior Citizens Federation

President.

Tech-savvy student volunteers from PNPh also made the workshop easier and more fun for the senior participants by assisting them throughout the activity and presenting entertaining skits and performances.

“ Our seniors must keep up with the advancement of technology as this can assist them in their everyday tasks, especially in terms of communicating and connecting with their friends and families,” said Carcar City Mayor Mario Patricio P. Barcenas.

This effort under the IDEATe program is aligned with PLDT and Smart’s much larger program to help the country achieve UNSDG 10 on reducing inequality by empowering and promoting social and economic inclusion for all, while #BeCybersmart  expresses the PLDT group’s broad commitment to safeguarding its customers from all forms of cybercrime.