PLDT-Smart backs agri school with digital tools, farming kits

CEBU, Philippines — PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications Inc., through the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), are expanding efforts to strengthen digital access in agricultural education, donating learning technology and farming kits to Cebu Technological University Cebu City Mountain Campus (CTU CCM) as part of a nationwide back-to-school program.

The initiative, implemented in partnership with the Cebu Diversified Advocacy Cooperative (CEDACO), highlights the telecommunications group’s strategy of using digital connectivity to improve education outcomes in underserved communities while supporting sustainable agriculture.

CTU CCM, which serves students from Cebu City’s upland communities as well as learners from across the Visayas and Mindanao, received a laptop loaded with e-learning materials, a printer, office supplies, and #PlantSmart gardening kits containing vegetable seeds, soil, and fertilizers.

The equipment is expected to strengthen classroom instruction, research, and digital learning, particularly for students with limited access to technology.

“Youth have the capacity to shape the future of agriculture, not only through modern technology but through fresh ideas and a commitment to serve their communities,” PLDT-Smart Foundation President Ma. Esther O. Santos said. “We hope these resources encourage students to become changemakers who will help build a more connected and empowered Philippines.”

The donation also supports the university’s agriculture programs, which are closely linked to the surrounding farming communities and local agri-based industries. The planting kits will help expand the campus garden while promoting food security and sustainable farming practices among students.

“This is our first time receiving a donation like this,” said Alma Rosillo-Magno, a faculty member of CTU CCM’s Agriculture Department. “These resources will greatly support our instruction, research, and students, many of whom do not own laptops.”

The back-to-school initiative forms part of the PLDT Group’s broader corporate sustainability agenda, which focuses on improving access to quality education through digital technology while advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 on inclusive and equitable education. — (FREEMAN)