PLDT, Vitro Back Election Transparency Efforts in Milestone BARMM Polls

Leading integrated telco network PLDT, Inc (PLDT) is supporting efforts to help ensure the transparent and credible conduct of the first regular Parliamentary Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), reinforcing its commitment to leveraging technology in support of democratic institutions and nation-building.

As part of its support, PLDT, in cooperation with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), is providing critical connectivity and digital infrastructure services for election-related operations, with its VITRO data centers housing critical servers that will receive data directly transmitted by automated counting machines — a partnership with the Commission on Elections that started in 2016, when it first shifted to electronic counting machines, and was strengthened further during the 2025 midterm elections.

PLDT is also providing connectivity for the PPCRV Command Center at AMA and distributing prepaid SIMs to support coordination and election monitoring activities.

"Reliable connectivity and secure digital infrastructure play a crucial role in enabling transparent and credible elections. As the Bangsamoro Region prepares for this historic electoral exercise, PLDT is honored to support Comelec, PPCRV, and other election stakeholders in helping strengthen public trust in the electoral process," said PLDT Chief Operating Officer Menardo G. Jimenez Jr.

"Serving the Filipino people means safeguarding the sanctity of every vote. Through VITRO's secure and mission-critical data center infrastructure, we are committed to protecting the integrity of election data entrusted to us. We are honored to once again support the Commission on Elections and iONE in strengthening our democratic process, this time through the landmark BARMM Parliamentary Elections," said Victor S. Genuino, President and CEO, ePLDT and VITRO REIT Inc.

VITRO data centers are fortified with layers of physical security, engineered to withstand earthquakes up to Intensity 8, and equipped with generators featuring redundancy consistent with prevailing industry benchmarks, along with uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems designed to keep operations running without disruption in the event of a commercial power outage. Built to deliver service level agreements of up to 99.99% uptime, VITRO's facilities are designed to provide high availability, helping ensure that election data remains secure and accessible when it matters most.

'Significant milestone'

Scheduled on September 14, the BARMM Parliamentary Elections have been hailed by the government as a significant milestone in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the region's democratic transition.

The initiative builds on PLDT's longstanding support for election modernization efforts. Through its extensive network infrastructure, connectivity solutions, and data center capabilities, the Group continues to help empower institutions with the digital tools needed to carry out critical public functions.

This support also forms part of PLDT's broader commitment to advancing the country's digital transformation agenda. This includes support for the Bayanihan SIM Program, which provides free SIMs with mobile data to Filipinos in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), alongside other government efforts to expand access to digital services in education, healthcare, and public service through improved connectivity nationwide.

In addition, the PLDT Group continues to work with LGUs, schools, and businesses of all sizes to strengthen community readiness for emerging technologies. This includes upskilling Filipino entrepreneurs to succeed in the digital marketplace, as well as boosting the government's thrust to harness AI by making AI more accessible and relevant to communities through the promotion of AI literacy via programs like AI-in-a-Box.

For advancing digital transformation across the country, PLDT and Smart recently received the "Bayani sa Last Mile" award from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), highlighting the Group's role in accelerating digital transformation and supporting countryside development across the Philippines.

The PLDT Group's continued collaboration with government and civil society organizations reflects its commitment to supporting stronger institutions through technology and contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Linggo ng Kabataan: NGO Equips Incoming SK Leaders to Drive Solutions for Children and Young People

Metro Manila, Philippines – Girl and child rights organization Plan International Pilipinas sees leadership potential in Filipino youth and is challenging incoming Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and Barangay leaders nationwide to champion health, education, gender equality, and child protection. The initiative comes ahead of the SK and Barangay elections and this year's Linggo ng Kabataan.

In Samar, the push was most visible at SIRAK Day on August 11, where Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara joined an estimated 1,000 youth leaders to mark the Sirak Kabataan movement’s 5th anniversary.

The gathering and other youth training initiatives highlight the youth's enthusiasm and leadership capabilities, and the urgent barriers they'll need to address as leaders for their peers.

One in four Filipino adolescents nationwide falls behind academically by age 18; more than 10,600 adolescent mothers were recorded in 2024, with pregnancies rising among girls under 15; child labor reached over half a million in 2025; and nearly 20% of internet-using children aged 12 to 17 have faced grave online sexual abuse and exploitation (OSAEC).

To close these gaps, Plan International Pilipinas facilitated the creation of the Girls' Agenda, a four-point blueprint crafted by 400 girl advocates, focusing on safety, resilience in crisis, health, and education and economic empowerment. Since 2025, the organization has reached 2.83 million people, protected over 740,000 individuals through violence prevention programs, and trained more than 14,000 child protection advocates.

"The Girls' Agenda came directly from young people, mostly girls, who told us where the gaps are," said Twyla Raros David, Country Program Manager for Gender and Child Rights. "Training incoming SK and Barangay leaders to carry that agenda into their own communities is how we turn those numbers around, one barangay at a time."

That vision is already being put into practice. Programs are underway across the Visayas and Mindanao, from Samar’s youth advocacy panels and peer educators to Cotabato City’s mental health initiatives under Plan International Pilipinas’ Global Youth Ambassador program. Among these are the Youth Advisory Panel, which empowers young advocates to influence community decisions; the Youth Peer Educators and Youth Reporters, who train high schoolers on OSAEC, SOGIESC, child rights, mental health, and leadership, enabling them to counsel their schoolmates; and the Girls’ Challenge Grants Group, which equips girls from vulnerable communities to design their own solutions to local problems.

These initiatives, carried out in partnership with local governments, communities, and schools, ensure that SK councils and barangay leaders are supported by trained youth voices. By equipping young advocates with skills in leadership, counseling, and community organizing, Plan International Pilipinas is ensuring young people are not just participants, but primary decision-makers.

As Linggo ng Kabataan is being celebrated across the country, Plan International Pilipinas is urging incoming SK and Barangay leaders nationwide to turn those aspirations into action by translating the Girls' Agenda into concrete local ordinances. These efforts echo the United Nations’ 2026 International Youth Day theme, "Different Contexts, Common Aspirations," underscoring how Filipino youth share the same hopes for safety, health, and opportunity no matter where they live.

To support Plan International Pilipinas' programs and help ensure that every girl has the resources to learn, lead, decide, and thrive, visit their official website or email partnerships.ph@plan-international.org.

Vibecode.game by YGG Announces Winners of First VibeBlitz Game Jam, Held With Minds by Animoca Brands

Vibecode.game, the premier editorial and discovery destination for vibe-coded games launched by Yield Guild Games (YGG), in partnership with Minds by Animoca Brands (“Minds”), a platform for persistent autonomous agentic AI, today revealed the winning entries from the first VibeBlitz, a series of game jams hosted by vibecode.game. The announcement concludes a four-week global virtual competition in which participants leveraged a Game Designer Mindset to tackle design hurdles and rapidly ship playable titles.

The game jam was built around a gap that vibecode.game and Minds collaborated to address: vibe coding tools have made code generation simple, but many creators still struggle with the design decisions, mechanics, and balancing that separate a prototype from a launch-ready game. During a two-week Build Phase, over 250 participants submitted 72 games built using a Game Designer Mind and the vibecode.game platform. A week of open Community Voting narrowed the field to 15 finalists, from which the judging panel selected the top five.

Idle Tactics: Ascension claimed first place with a browser-based pixel-art idle auto-battler where players choose a hero that fights autonomously while they manage gear, forge new upgrades, and decide when to take on bosses, winning $1,000 in $YGG tokens and $1,000 in Minds Cognition Credits. By shifting player agency away from direct combat, Idle Tactics puts the strategic focus on progression, equipment, and timing.

Tiny Realm placed second with a pixel-art real-time strategy game in which players gather resources to build and strengthen their kingdom’s defenses against waves of insect invaders, winning $600 in $YGG tokens and $600 in Minds Cognition Credits. Its simple, accessible gameplay loop combines resource gathering and base building with the mounting challenge of increasingly difficult enemy waves.

The Last Seal placed third with a dark pixel-art 2D side-scrolling action-platformer combining precision traversal, combo-based combat and a special move on cooldown, winning $400 in $YGG tokens and $400 in Minds Cognition Credits. The Last Seal weaves its story directly into its gameplay, with combat, failure mechanics and unlockable characters reinforcing its theme of successive generations of Sealkeepers.

Agent Fighter placed fourth with a browser-based 2D fighting game built on a custom deterministic engine, where human players and AI agents compete within a shared queue, economy, and leaderboard, with a $300 prize in $YGG tokens and $300 in Minds Cognition Credits.

Pixel Abyss rounded out the top five with a pixel-art roguelike dungeon crawler featuring varied runs, unlockable abilities, hidden rooms, and collectible loot, winning $200 in $YGG tokens and $200 in Minds Cognition Credits.

The judging panel consisted of Gabby Dizon, co-founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), and Mohamed AbdelKhalek, game designer at Animoca Brands, who scored the shortlisted entries on plot coherence, playability and fun elements, creativity and originality, and technical execution. Each submission was built within a 32x32 plot of land, styled as a neighborhood where teams could earn bonus points for meaningfully referencing a neighbor’s build - a constraint Abdelkhalek tied to Animoca Brands’ broader interest in a “metaverse for agents”.

“This game jam is a clear demonstration of what happens when you put the right creative tools in front of a community that already knows what to build,” said Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands. “Over four weeks, we watched ideas move from a single prompt to games players genuinely wanted to keep playing. It’s an early look at what persistent AI agents can do for creators once the friction of getting started is removed.”

“YGG is moving heavily into AI, and vibecode.game is one way we bring our community into that world with us. It acts as our discovery layer, turning community playtesting and upvoting into validation for new titles,” said Dizon. “Seeing builders work with the Game Designer Mind to ship great games within tight constraints shows how well this model works. It gives us a clear path to find, test, and support the next generation of AI creators.”

By pairing the Game Designer Mind’s build support with vibecode.game’s discovery and community-voting infrastructure, the partnership gave participants a path from one-line prompts to published games with an actual audience behind them.

HUAWEI and Pretty Huge Bring Fitness and Technology Together in an Immersive Community Workout Experience

Manila, Philippines — HUAWEI, in partnership with multi-sports facility Pretty Huge, has brought fitness enthusiasts together through the HUAWEI Fit Fest, an immersive community workout experience that celebrated movement, recovery, and community. The event featured a multi-stage program that included the HUAWEI Community Run, a Guided Stretching and Recovery session, and a high-intensity Fitness Challenge.

Taking the experience even further, HUAWEI integrated its latest wearable workout and audio devices, including the HUAWEI FreeClip 2, HUAWEI Band 11, HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5, HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2, and HUAWEI WATCH GT 6, into different stages of the program.

The event invited the Founders Run Club, fitness enthusiasts and creators, HUAWEI Campus Ambassadors, and members of the running community to experience firsthand how innovation can elevate every step of the fitness journey and empower Filipinos to move smarter, perform better, and achieve their wellness goals.

“The HUAWEI Wearable devices made me feel excited and inspired to join the Fit Fest experience as it allowed me to track my activity through the watch. What made the most impact for me are its comfort and reliability,” said Jacob Evan Caballa, HUAWEI Fit Fest participant. “As someone who does physical activities daily, I find importance in how these Wearables can support me and make me feel comfortable even during intense activities.”

Aliah Venice Garcia shared how her experience with the HUAWEI WATCH Fit 5 supported her performance during the event, “The WATCH FIT was incredibly light and comfortable on my wrist, so I barely noticed I was wearing it. It felt so secure, I was able to focus more on what I was doing instead of thinking about my gear.”

A lighter, smarter way to move with HUAWEI FreeClip 2

Supporting participants throughout every activity was the HUAWEI FreeClip 2, designed to deliver immersive audio without compromising comfort or awareness. Featuring an innovative Airy C-Bridge design with soft liquid silicone and shape-memory alloy, the earbuds provide a secure "Never Feel, Never Fall" fit that stays comfortably in place whether users are running, stretching, or taking on high-intensity workouts.

During the 3K and 5K community run, participants enjoyed the freedom of the HUAWEI FreeClip 2's open-ear listening experience, which allowed them to stay aware of fellow runners, coaches, and their surroundings while listening to music or receiving audio cues. Its ultra-lightweight design delivers all-day comfort, even during different kinds of workouts, like running, strength training, or playing sports. Its IP57 water resistance ensures dependable performance through sweat-intensive workouts and changing outdoor conditions.

The HUAWEI FreeClip 2 also enhances everyday convenience beyond fitness with AI-powered sound optimization, adaptive listening, enhanced call clarity, dual-device connection, intuitive gesture controls, and up to 38 hours of battery life with the charging case. Combining style, comfort, and performance, the true wireless earbuds deliver unmatched comfort, secure fit, and supreme audio.

Track every workout with HUAWEI's accurate, comprehensive, and AI-powered Wearables.

Complementing the audio experience, HUAWEI Wearables empowered participants with real-time performance insights and advanced sports and health tracking throughout every stage of the HUAWEI Fit Fest.

During the community run, participants experienced the HUAWEI Band 11 and HUAWEI Band 11 Pro, both designed with an ultra-lightweight and slim profile for comfortable all-day wear. From tracking pace and distance to monitoring heart rate and recovery, the smart bands demonstrated how effortless fitness tracking can support more consistent training habits. The Band 11 Pro also features built-in GPS, allowing users to accurately record outdoor runs even without carrying a smartphone.

Participants also put the HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5 to the test across running, rowing, and other strength-focused challenges. Its sleek square design, extensive sports modes, accurate GPS and performance metrics, and AI-powered health insights stood out during the event, with several attendees sharing that they could easily see it becoming their everyday fitness companion, including for sports like pickleball.

For those who prefer a classic round smartwatch, the HUAWEI WATCH GT 6 Series delivered a premium fitness experience with precise sports and health tracking, running-form analysis, and up to 21 days of battery life. The watch’s outdoor-focused features also sparked interest among cycling enthusiasts eager to explore its advanced training capabilities.

Designed specifically for dedicated runners and marathon athletes, the HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2 showcased HUAWEI’s most advanced running technologies. Participants explored its AI-powered ultra-precise GPS, real-time pace guidance, lactate-threshold insights, race performance predictions, and detailed post-run analysis—features built to help runners train smarter and prepare more confidently for race day.

Extending the experience beyond the event itself, participants were able to seamlessly sync their workout data to Strava on both iOS and Android devices, making it easy to review, track, and share their performance long after HUAWEI Fit Fest concluded.

“For anyone looking to support their active lifestyle or launch a wellness journey, the HUAWEI Wearables and Audio ecosystem offers exceptional build quality and cross-platform compatibility (iOS and Android),” said HUAWEI Fit Fest attendee Leira, highly recommending HUAWEI Audio and Wearables to those who want to level up their workout experiences and understand their performance better. “The built-in GNSS tracking is the feature that made the biggest impact in my experience. It made outdoor runs precise without needing to carry a smartphone.”

Advancing modern fitness with smart technology

HUAWEI and Pretty Huge are elevating the modern fitness experience by proving that every run, recovery session, and workout becomes more rewarding when supported by intelligent technology and a strong sense of community. As more Filipinos pursue active lifestyles, the collaboration reflects a shared vision of making fitness not only more connected, but also more motivating, inclusive, and enjoyable.

Join the movement with HUAWEI and discover how smart technology can help track progress, improve performance, and achieve wellness goals. Visit your nearest HUAWEI Experience Store or HUAWEI’s official website to learn more.

Stronger Fraud Prevention, Onboarding Foundations Key to Unlocking Ph’s Next MSME Growth Wave: Industry Leaders

MANILA, Philippines — The financial sector must modernize how it verifies, protects, and extends credit to millions of unique micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to accelerate financial inclusion across the Philippines, industry leaders urged.

At 'The Anatomy of Merchant Trust' executive roundtable co-hosted by IDfy and Mastercard in Manila, executives across banking, fintech, and payments concurred that while consumer adoption of digital payment channels like QR Ph has surged past 57% according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data, traditional merchant infrastructure must evolve to serve the distinct needs of every small vendor, from urban startups to neighborhood sari-sari stores.

The discussion highlighted a critical systemic challenge currently holding legitimate businesses back. Because traditional merchant identity verification remains fragmented and unverified at the micro-level, it cascades into ecosystem-wide trust issues that compel institutions to enforce rigid, blanket risk policies. Consequently, vast numbers of honest, high-potential merchants who simply lack paper credit histories are turned away from the formal digital economy.

Leaders present at the event highlighted the importance of addressing the gap to complement government-led empowerment efforts. Initiatives like the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) “Tindahan Mo, e-Level Up Mo!” have successfully equipped thousands of small merchants with digital literacy and cashless payment tools. Financial sector leaders emphasized that by streamlining merchant onboarding, such as replacing legacy paper checks and physical audits with automated, risk-based verification, banks and fintechs can seamlessly welcome these newly enabled businesses into the fold.

Internal industry polling conducted during the session underscored this sentiment, with executives identifying business document verification and compliance checks as the single highest-priority workflow for automation, scoring 4.4 out of 5.

Beyond onboarding, attendees noted that safeguarding merchants requires moving from point-in-time checks to continuous protection. By deploying real-time behavioral analytics and continuous fraud monitoring, institutions can defend against threats such as document forgery, deepfakes, and post-approval misuse without creating unnecessary friction for legitimate vendors.

“Merchant trust is no longer a one-time verification exercise—it is a continuous lifecycle,” said Raghuraman Chandrashekhar, PH Country Head of IDfy. “As digital payments scale across the Philippines, institutions must move away from fragmented onboarding and adopt intelligent, risk-based systems that unify identity verification, alternative data, and real-time monitoring. The future of financial inclusion depends on enabling MSMEs to be onboarded quickly and safely at scale.”

To bridge the credit gap for small vendors, financial institutions are increasingly leveraging alternative data, such as digital payment records, utility payments, and transaction footprints. Paired with progressive lending models that scale credit limits as merchants grow, alternative underwriting could unlock formal financing for over one million underserved merchants nationwide.

“Merchant trust extends well beyond onboarding. As more businesses participate in the digital economy, the industry needs to strengthen collaboration across banks, payment providers, fintechs, and technology stakeholders,” said Jason Crasto, Mastercard’s Country Manager for the Philippines. “Each stakeholder brings unique capabilities, perspectives, and expertise to the table. Through stronger public-private collaboration, shared intelligence, and advanced risk solutions, we can build a more secure, scalable, and inclusive digital ecosystem that empowers Philippine MSMEs to grow with confidence.”

By rebuilding onboarding foundations and adopting continuous risk intelligence, industry leaders agreed that the Philippines can transform strict risk barriers into pathways of opportunity, ensuring every legitimate merchant has the access, security, and capital needed to thrive in the digital economy.

For more information on the roundtable discussion, you may visit www.idfy.ph.