LG Philippines and Addessa Bring Laundry Love to Flood-Affected Families in Pampanga

In an effort to support communities recovering from the impact of flooding, LG Electronics Philippines partnered with Addessa Corporation to bring its Laundry Love free laundry service program to families in Brgy. Magliman, San Fernando, Pampanga.

Brgy. Magliman was among the communities in San Fernando severely affected by flooding, leaving many families facing challenges in restoring their homes and meeting their everyday needs. Recognizing that access to clean clothing and essential services can provide meaningful support during recovery, LG and Addessa joined forces to bring assistance directly to the affected community.

The initiative was conducted as part of Addessa Corporation’s Project Care on Wheels, a corporate social responsibility program designed to provide assistance to victims of calamities. Through the partnership, LG contributed its laundry expertise and resources by offering residents access to free laundry services, helping participating families clean their clothes without having to shoulder additional expenses during a difficult period.

Addessa Corporation complemented the effort by providing free service check-ups, allowing families to have their appliances and equipment assessed. This additional service helped extend the initiative beyond immediate relief by addressing practical household concerns that can become more challenging following a calamity.

The partnership also included the distribution of relief goods and laundry essentials to participating families. These supplies provided additional support to residents as they continued their recovery and worked toward rebuilding their daily routines after the flooding.

The community-focused activity made a significant impact, serving 211 families and handling approximately 1.6 tonnes of laundry. Beyond the volume of clothes washed, the initiative demonstrated how businesses can combine their resources and expertise to provide practical, timely assistance to communities affected by natural disasters.

LG’s Laundry Love program and Addessa’s Project Care on Wheels highlight the value of collaboration in corporate social responsibility. By bringing essential services directly to affected residents, the two companies helped ease some of the burdens faced by families in Brgy. Magliman.

The initiative also underscores an important aspect of disaster recovery: support does not always have to come in the form of large-scale infrastructure or financial assistance. Sometimes, providing clean clothes, essential supplies, appliance check-ups, and a helping hand can make an immediate difference in people’s lives.

For LG Philippines and Addessa Corporation, the effort in Pampanga represents a continued commitment to using their capabilities not only to serve customers, but also to support communities when they need help the most.

PLDT-led PROTECTA Pilipinas Bats for Stronger Legal Frameworks to Protect Children vs Online Violence, Exploitation

Representatives from government, law enforcement, telco, education, media, and the private sector came together for a forum led by PROTECTA Pilipinas to strengthen efforts to protect children against online violence and exploitation.

“Protecting the connectivity that Filipinos depend on includes protecting the people, especially the children, who rely on that connectivity every single day. When we talk about infrastructure resilience, we usually think of disasters, cable theft, and cyberattacks. But another kind of resilience we must build is resilience against the exploitation of the children who use these networks to learn, play, and connect with the world,” said Atty Roy D. Ibay, Smart VP and Head of Regulatory Affairs and lead convenor of PROTECTA.

In addition to expanding reporting and coordination mechanisms, calling for the consistent adoption of anti-child online exploitation platforms and tools, and including fintech partners in the conversation, Ibay also emphasized the importance of advocating for stronger legal frameworks to strengthen protections for children in the digital age.

“No single actor can secure our digital ecosystem alone. Protecting Filipino children online will take government, industry, civil society, and communities working as one alliance,” he added.

Also among the speakers were PLDT Chief Operating Officer Menardo G. Jimenez Jr., Usec. Angelo Tapales of the Council for the Welfare of Children, Asec. Alvin Navarro of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, and Lt. Col. Ayn Natuel of the PNP Women and Children Protection Center. Also joining the panel were Frances Kristine Canon of Creative Learning Paths School, Karlos Naidas of Pixel for Creators, and Dr. Joan Mae Rifareal, Immediate Past President of the Philippine Psychiatric Association.

CWC Usec Tapales emphasized that protecting children online should be approached foremost as a child rights issue, and that while children must be protected from harmful content, abuse, and exploitation, they also have the right to meaningful access to technology, information, education, participation, expression, privacy, and development.

“The objective should not be to keep children away from technology, but to ensure that they can access and participate in the digital environment safely, meaningfully, and in an age-appropriate manner,” Tapales said. “Children should not have to choose between being connected and being safe. Our responsibility is to make the digital environment safer for every child.”

The forum, moderated by PLDT and Smart Public Engagement Group Head Roby Alampay, also underscored a shared view among stakeholders that efforts to address online harms must continue to respect rights, due process, and privacy, while enabling government, industry, communities, and families to respond more effectively, more quickly, and more collaboratively to emerging threats facing children online.

Participants also agreed that the Philippines is not starting from scratch, with existing laws, protocols, reporting mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts already in place to combat online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM). However, recent cases involving online violence and harmful digital communities have highlighted the need to expand and adapt these frameworks to address new forms of harm affecting children.

Acknowledging PLDT’s role as a telco, Jimenez said that the forum offers the perfect opportunity to seek guidance on how telcos can maximize existing controls to safeguard children.

“Telcos have a moral responsibility to our people, especially the children. This forum is important to us because we need clear guidance to know when and how we’re going to shut down these evil platforms,” Jimenez said. “We’re not talking about numbers here. We don’t need a million kids groomed before we do something. All it takes is one kid, because that can be your kid. Telcos are not here to play god. We’re here to protect kids from being brainwashed and directed to commit hideous acts."

Spearheaded by PLDT, PROTECTA Pilipinas is a multi-stakeholder alliance that brings together government, industry, and communities to strengthen cyber resilience, protect critical infrastructure, and promote a safer digital environment for Filipinos.

Lenovo Unveils a More Personal, Connected Future at IFA 2026

Lenovo is taking its vision for the future of technology a step further with a broad range of new devices, artificial intelligence experiences, and innovative concepts unveiled at Lenovo Innovation World during IFA 2026 in Berlin.

At the heart of the announcements is Lenovo’s Hybrid AI strategy, which aims to bring AI into practical everyday experiences across personal devices, enterprise technology, infrastructure, and services. The company is advancing its vision of “one personal AI, multiple devices,” connecting PCs, smartphones, tablets, wearables, and applications into a more seamless technology ecosystem.

A major highlight is the expansion of Lenovo and Motorola Qira, Lenovo’s personal ambient intelligence experience. Support is expanding to more eligible Lenovo PCs with 16GB of memory, as well as selected Motorola Edge and Razr devices receiving Android 17 upgrades. The new moto watch ultra also becomes the first Motorola wearable to support Qira on compatible devices. Through a collaboration with Workato, supported Qira experiences will connect with popular services including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Slack, Outlook Mail, and Outlook Calendar.

Lenovo’s latest Yoga portfolio focuses heavily on creators and developers. The Yoga Pro 9n and Yoga 9n 2-in-1 introduce NVIDIA RTX Spark-powered capabilities, while the Yoga Tab Plus Gen 2 and Yoga Tab Gen 2 emphasize pen-based creativity. The Lenovo Smart Canvas Concept further explores how voice, cameras, touch, and digital pens could work together across devices.

For consumers, Lenovo introduced the expressive IdeaPad Vibe series, featuring multiple color options and AI-powered experiences, alongside the IdeaCentre AIO i for homes, learning, entertainment, and everyday productivity.

Business users are also receiving significant upgrades. The new ThinkCentre, ThinkBook, ThinkVision, and ThinkShield solutions are designed to help organizations adopt AI at different stages. Local AI performance, connected displays, device management, security, and responsible AI governance are central themes throughout the commercial portfolio.

Lenovo is also looking beyond conventional laptops with Project AeroBlade Concept and Project Swan Concept, exploring ultra-thin, fanless computing and expandable mobile workspaces.

Meanwhile, Motorola expanded its device lineup with the motorola edge 70 plus, moto watch ultra, moto snap wireless charger, and a special motorola razr with Crystals by Swarovski edition.

Overall, Lenovo’s IFA 2026 announcements demonstrate how AI is becoming increasingly integrated into the devices people use to work, create, communicate, and live. Rather than treating AI as a standalone feature, Lenovo is building toward a connected ecosystem where technology becomes more personal, adaptable, and useful across both everyday life and the modern workplace.

GCash Makes Investing in Arthaland Follow-on Offering More Accessible With GStocks PH

Filipinos can look forward to easily participating in Arthaland Corporation’s (ALCO) upcoming Series G and H preferred share offering, giving investors an opportunity to invest in the sustainable property developer directly through GStocks PH, offered by broker AB Capital Securities Inc. in the GCash app. The shares are priced at PHP 500 each, with Series G (ALCPG) offering a dividend rate of 7.3260% per annum and Series H (ALCPH) offering 7.8105% per annum, subject to the terms and conditions of the issue. Preferred shares typically pay fixed dividends and give holders priority over common shareholders in receiving dividends. The offer period for ALCO’s share sale will run from September 14 to September 25.

The offering expands retail investors’ access to additional ways to earn potential income, while helping address challenges that have traditionally made stock investing less convenient. In the past, retail investors often needed a separate bank account to begin trading in the stock market and had to coordinate with a physical broker to participate in share issuances, including follow-on offerings.

The fully digital IPO/FOO subscription feature of GStocks PH, offered by AB Capital Securities Inc., provides retail investors with a more seamless and transparent investment experience during share sales like initial public offerings and follow-on offerings. With the built-in subscription meter and real-time allocation of the broker’s tranche, investors can check the availability of broker-allotted shares on GStocks PH and confirm their share allocations at the moment of subscription rather than waiting for the close of the offer period.

Should the broker’s initial tranche be fully taken up and the offering become oversubscribed on GStocks PH, retail investors can still place orders and receive their allocation results after the offer period.

“Financial inclusion is not only about more financial services. It is about creating a simpler, more rewarding experience that keeps Filipinos’ needs in mind. By digitizing financial services and making investing more convenient, we make it easier for Filipinos to participate and take greater control of their financial journeys,” emphasized Winsley Bangit, group head of new businesses at Mynt.

Fully verified GCash users can strengthen their investment journey by opening the GCash app, going to Invest, and selecting GStocks PH. The platform offers instant onboarding to new users, and free fund transfers to and from the GCash wallet with no bank account needed.

By expanding digital access to securities offerings, GStocks PH continues to help broaden participation in the capital markets and provide Filipinos with more convenient ways to earn and grow their hard-earned money.

Smart Pilots Ericsson On-Demand Roaming Breakout Service, Bringing ‘Local-Like’ Roaming Experience Overseas

PLDT’s wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and technology partner Ericsson have successfully completed a live demo of Ericsson On-Demand's Roaming Breakout (RBO) service, taking a step further in efforts to enhance the data roaming experience for Filipino travelers around the world.

The tests, carried out simultaneously in the United States and the Philippines, covered a range of services commonly used by travelers, including video streaming and video calling. It involved routing subscriber data traffic through a Google point-of-presence in Virginia, United States, rather than returning traffic all the way to the Philippines, resulting in better latency, faster browsing and streaming, and an overall smoother data roaming experience.

Use cases tested during the pilot included video calls via Messenger between users in the US and the Philippines and US and Sweden, with the LBO technology-enabled smartphone facilitating a smoother call experience compared to the home-routed one.

Speed tests done on both demo smartphones also showcased as much as 5x faster download speeds, significantly lower latency, and smoother 4K video streaming via LBO, enabling a ‘local-like’ overseas mobile experience, closer to what customers may expect from a local SIM or travel eSIM.

“As customer expectations evolve, we continue to actively explore technologies that can transform how our subscribers stay connected while traveling abroad. This successful pilot with Ericsson gives us valuable insights into how next-generation roaming capabilities can help deliver a leveled-up experience for Filipinos wherever their journeys may take them,” said Roderick S. Santiago, Head of Network Strategy and Architecture at PLDT and Smart. “By enabling a better roaming experience, LBO can also help us uphold the network quality and reliability that Smart subscribers have come to expect, not only in the Philippines but even when they are overseas."

Bipin Melvin, VP & Head of Cloud Software and Services, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and the Pacific Islands, Ericsson, says: “This successful pilot demonstrates how our SaaS Core built for Google Cloud, with its ease of creating core networks anywhere in the world, can help transform the roaming experience for mobile subscribers. By enabling data traffic to break out closer to where travelers are located, Ericsson On-Demand's Roaming Breakout service can significantly reduce latency and improve performance. Together with Smart, we have shown how innovation in roaming can help deliver a more seamless, local-like experience for customers wherever they travel.”

PLDT and Smart’s push to lead in next-generation technologies reflects the PLDT Group’s broader commitment to deliver a leveled-up, world-class customer experience to Filipinos here and abroad. These efforts support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and advance the Group’s contribution to the government’s overall digitalization thrust.