LG Electronics Unveils CLOiD: A Glimpse Into the Zero Labor Home

At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, LG Electronics introduced its newest innovation, the LG CLOiD home robot, marking a major step toward the company’s ambitious vision of a “Zero Labor Home.” This concept imagines a future where routine household chores are no longer a burden, allowing people to focus on more meaningful activities, personal growth, and quality time with loved ones.

The LG CLOiD is not just another smart appliance—it is a fully capable home assistant designed to perform a wide range of indoor household tasks. From organizing items and assisting with daily routines to handling delicate chores, CLOiD aims to make home management more seamless and efficient. Its design reflects a strong emphasis on functionality combined with intelligent interaction.

One of CLOiD’s most impressive features is its advanced mechanical system. The robot is equipped with two articulated arms, each offering seven degrees of freedom, along with five fully actuated fingers. This sophisticated structure allows CLOiD to replicate human-like hand movements with remarkable precision. As a result, it can perform tasks that require careful handling, such as picking up fragile objects, arranging household items, or assisting with light domestic work.

At the core of CLOiD is a powerful built-in chipset that serves as its central brain. Supporting components include a display for visual communication, a speaker for voice interaction, and a camera paired with multiple sensors. These technologies allow the robot to navigate its environment intelligently, recognize surroundings, and interact naturally with users. The robot can communicate expressively, respond to voice commands, and move safely and efficiently throughout the home.

Powering this innovation is LG’s Affectionate Intelligence platform, which enables CLOiD to learn and adapt over time. By observing patterns and interacting repeatedly with household members, the robot can personalize its responses and improve its performance. This learning capability ensures that CLOiD becomes more useful and intuitive the longer it is used.

LG’s commitment to robotics extends beyond this single product. The company has strengthened its research and development efforts through the creation of its HS Robotics Lab and partnerships with global robotics leaders. These strategic moves position LG at the forefront of the emerging home robotics revolution.

With CLOiD, LG Electronics is not just introducing a new device—it is redefining the relationship between humans and technology, bringing the future of automated living closer to reality.

PLDT Spotlights AI Upskilling as Pathway to New Opportunities for Filipinos

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often framed as a looming disruptor of jobs. At the Philippine Telco Summit 2026, however, PLDT Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer Menardo “Butch” Jimenez Jr. offered a different view: AI, he said, is less a threat than a call to adapt—and a powerful tool for expanding opportunities for Filipinos who are willing to learn new skills.

Speaking on a panel at the summit organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Jimenez underscored the need for workers, businesses, and institutions to pivot toward AI as it becomes embedded in everyday life and work.

“AI is going to happen, whether we like it or not,” Jimenez said. “The real question is how we respond. If we embrace it and learn how to use it, AI can help protect or diversify your job, open new opportunities, and make people more productive.”

Jimenez emphasized that while large-scale industrial AI systems can be costly, many practical AI tools are already accessible and affordable to ordinary Filipinos—from transcription apps to content creation and productivity tools. These technologies, he said, lower barriers for individuals and small businesses, allowing them to do more with limited resources.

He pointed to the experience of creators and entrepreneurs who now rely on AI-powered tools to shorten workflows that once took days into tasks that can be completed in minutes. “There are AI applications today that are affordable, easy to use, and immediately useful,” Jimenez said. “The key is helping people understand which tools make sense for them—and giving them the confidence to try.”

That focus on accessibility is reflected in PLDT Group’s broader push to democratize AI through infrastructure investments and community-based programs. The company has invested heavily in AI-ready infrastructure, anchored by its integrated fixed and wireless networks and the VITRO Sta. Rosa (VSR) hyperscale data center in Laguna, the country’s first facility built specifically to support AI workloads. VSR, inaugurated in 2025 by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, sits at the heart of the country’s growing technology corridor south of Metro Manila.

VSR also hosts Pilipinas AI, the country’s first sovereign AI solutions stack, designed to help Philippine enterprises and institutions deploy AI without having to build or manage their own infrastructure. By keeping data and workloads hosted locally, Pilipinas AI enables both public and private sector users to access advanced AI capabilities while ensuring data sovereignty and security.

Beyond enterprise applications, PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. are extending AI upskilling to communities through initiatives such as AI-in-a-Box, which provides connectivity, tools, training, and support to local government units, schools, MSMEs, media organizations, and community groups. Launched in 2025, the program has reached learners and organizations from Baguio to BARMM, helping demystify AI and show how it can be applied in practical, day-to-day settings.

At the policy level, Jimenez also highlighted the importance of sustained collaboration between government and industry, particularly as the country implements the Konektadong Pinoy Act. He said ongoing dialogue with the DICT and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has helped address early concerns from telcos, including clearer definitions around spectrum utilization and safeguards related to pricing regulation for players with significant market power.

“The real measure of success,” Jimenez added, echoing President Marcos, “is how much these policies improve Filipino lives. Faster or cheaper internet only matters if it actually makes life better.”

That principle also guides PLDT and Smart’s continued investments in connectivity for remote and underserved communities. PLDT tested Radisys point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access technology, which delivers fiber-like speeds over-the-air through a single base node connecting to remote radio nodes in customer premises. The company also piloted Google’s Taara laser communication technology, delivering fiber-like speeds using beams of light instead of undersea or underground cables, to sites like Talim Island in Rizal, Dipaluda in Isabela, and Bagong Pag-asa in Quezon City. Smart has also partnered with Lynk Global to enable direct-to-device satellite-powered mobile connectivity, allowing users to send SMS and use apps like WhatsApp even when cell services are unavailable.

Working with government agencies, local government units, and private sector partners, PLDT and Smart have also pushed to streamline permitting processes and accelerate network rollouts, ensuring that digital services reach communities that need them most. These efforts support national programs such as Konektadong CHED and the Bayanihan SIM initiative, which aim to expand access to education and mobile connectivity in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).

“Our mission is simple: reach more Filipinos by delivering meaningful connections and experiences,” Jimenez said. “By working closely with government and industry partners, we can deploy stronger, more resilient networks—and ensure that new technologies like AI create real opportunities for people across the country.”

As AI continues to reshape economies and workplaces worldwide, PLDT’s message at the Philippine Telco Summit was clear: the future will belong to those who adapt. For Filipinos, Jimenez said, the future begins with learning, collaboration, and the confidence to pivot.

Safer Internet Day 2026: Groups Warn of Escalating AI-Driven Online Abuse Targeting Filipino Children

Metro Manila – Girl and child rights organizations Plan International Pilipinas and Consuelo Foundation warned of escalating artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled online abuse targeting children, as they convene lawmakers, tech companies, youth leaders, and civil society groups at a Safer Internet Day Celebration on February 24, 2026.

The groups flagged the rapid proliferation of AI tools capable of generating hyper-realistic images, videos, and voice recordings, which are increasingly being weaponized to exploit, harass, and extort children online. These include AI-generated sexual images, “deepfake” content, impersonation scams, and grooming tactics that are more difficult for parents and authorities to detect.

“We are facing a reality where algorithms move faster than our laws, leaving children vulnerable to abuse before we even know the risks exist,” said Pebbles Sanchez-Ogang, Executive Director of Plan International Pilipinas.

Studies show that one in two children has experienced some form of online violence, and seven out of ten girls report experiencing online abuse, with perpetrators misusing digital platforms to produce, distribute, and profit from abusive content. With AI tools now lowering the technical barriers to creating manipulated sexual images and videos, advocates warn that children—particularly girls—face heightened risks of image-based abuse, cyberbullying, impersonation, and online blackmail.

The National Coordinating Center Against OSAEC-CSAEM said the number of reported incidents remains significantly lower than what is happening on the ground, suggesting that many cases of online abuse still go unreported.

“We cannot allow innovation to outpace the safeguards that have protected children for generations. Through the Safer Internet Day Celebration, we are calling for a collective shift—one that strengthens collaboration among government, tech companies, communities, and families. Digital safety is a shared responsibility. It calls for ‘Smart Tech’ that prioritizes child protection and ‘Smart Choices’ from all of us to create safer online spaces for them,” Sanchez-Ogang added.

The Safer Internet Day Celebration, titled “Beyond the Feed: Safeguarding Girls, Children, and Young People in AI-Driven Digital Spaces,” will move the conversation beyond awareness toward practical solutions. Sessions will examine how emerging technologies can be harnessed to strengthen child protection by improving reporting systems, enhancing built-in safeguards, and equipping families and communities with the tools to respond to online risks.

The event will also spotlight the voices of young people as active partners in shaping safer digital spaces. Girl leaders and youth advocates will share their insights and recommendations, underscoring the need for sustained, coordinated action to uphold children’s rights in an AI-driven online environment.

The celebration forms part of Plan International Pilipinas’ #StandWithGirls campaign, a national movement dedicated to advancing long-term investment in girls’ rights, safety, and leadership. Through this platform, the organization reinforces the message that protecting children online is inseparable from advancing gender equality and preventing violence against girls.

Founded in 1961, Plan International Pilipinas will mark 65 years of working with children and girls across every stage of their lives in the Philippines in June. The celebration will also highlight ongoing initiatives such as SAFE Online, SUFASEC, and Connect2Protect — projects dedicated to strengthening online safety.

“As Safer Internet Day draws attention to the risks children face online, Plan International Pilipinas is urging all stakeholders to take meaningful, long-term action that prioritizes children’s safety in digital spaces. Standing with girls means standing firmly against online abuse, through policy, through practice, and in every corner of the internet where children learn, play, and connect,” Sanchez-Ogang added.

Echoing this call for protection, Dr. Mariella Castillo, the Managing Director of Consuelo Foundation, stated, “What happens on our screens has real-world consequences for our children. ‘Beyond the Feed’ is not just a theme; it is a call to look past the algorithms and see the human cost of unchecked technology. Consuelo Foundation is proud to stand with Plan International Pilipinas to ensure that digital spaces are built to nurture young people, not exploit them.”

To sustain these collective efforts, the organizations are opening doors for collaboration. Interested partners may reach out via partnerships.ph@plan-international.org. Plan International Pilipinas will also be launching a donation portal by the last week of February.

Pinoy Traditions Drive Sari-Sari Store Sales Surge During Chinese New Year – Packworks

Manila, Philippines — As the Chinese New Year approaches, Filipinos are turning cultural traditions and ‘suwerte’ (luck) into a shopping list, fueling a sales surge in sari-sari stores nationwide as families prepare to welcome prosperity for the year ahead.

Filipino tech startup Packworks, through its business intelligence tool Sari IQ, analyzed over a million monthly transactions across its network of 300,000 stores over three years. The study compared sales trends for holiday-related items two weeks before and after the Chinese New Year from 2023 to 2025. The data reveals that items linked to abundance and luck, such as hopia, Chinese wine, and Asian noodles, posted sales increases, reflecting how Filipino beliefs influence consumption during the occasion.

Hopia, a round pastry of Chinese origin symbolizing togetherness and good fortune, steadily grew sales from 2023 to 2025. Its median gross merchandise value (GMV) rose 20% in 2025, up from 14% increase in 2023. The Visayas regions led the sales growth. Central Visayas (Region VII) saw a massive 240% spike in sales and a 200% increase in transactions in 2025. This popularity reflects the region’s enduring Chinese cultural influence, particularly in Western and Central Visayas, hubs home to significant Chinese-Filipino communities such as Iloilo, which is home to approximately 14,000 Chinese-Filipinos.

Meanwhile, Chinese wine, often linked with holiday toasts and wishes for prosperity, saw its median GMV leap 36% in 2025, from a mere 3% in 2023. Growth was seen across most regions, with Central Luzon (Region III) maintaining a consistent 100% sales increase each year, along with Eastern Visayas, showing steadily rising growth from 72% in 2023, and the highest surge of 107% in 2024 and 115% in 2025. This trend highlights the intersection of Chinese influence and the local tradition of ‘tagay’ (communal drinking).

Asian noodles, a staple symbolizing long life, saw a 10% sales increase in 2025, rebounding from a 3% decline the previous year. SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII) recorded the highest sales in 2025 with 25% increase, likely driven by a 36% rise in stores selling the product, the highest among all regions. Western Visayas had the largest jump in transactions at 25%, reflecting the region’s Chinese culinary influences and its growing community of Chinese-Filipinos. Meanwhile, Central Luzon and Eastern Visayas continued to sustain sales growth over the three years, with Central Luzon recording 27% in 2023, 15% in 2024, and 17% in 2025, and Eastern Visayas showing steady, although gradually decreasing growth at 28%, 18%, and 9%. These trends reflect steady top-up purchases of affordable and culturally symbolic items in sari-sari stores in these regions.

Packworks Chief Data Officer Andoy Montiel said these patterns reflect how Filipinos weave tradition into purchasing decisions.

“Our historical data underscores how deeply traditional beliefs and cultural influences are embedded in the Filipino psyche, proving that commerce is inseparable from culture. The sales trends show that for the average Filipino, Chinese New Year isn't just a holiday, but a window for ‘investing’ in prosperity. These cultural nuances are mirrored in the sari-sari store ecosystem, proving that in our local market, heritage often leads the hand that shops,” Montiel said.

The Filipinos' "prosperity basket" also extends to kitchen essentials used for holiday feasts. Soy sauce, a staple introduced in Chinese cuisine, saw sales rise 9% in 2025, while seasoning granules and MSG grew by 7%. Cooking oil also saw around a 13% increase in both sales and transactions. Furthermore, sweet products like chocolates and sugar, symbolizing a "sweet" year ahead, experienced notable growth. Chocolates saw a 36% boost in sales in 2025, while sugar maintained a strong presence following a massive 47% spike in 2024.

“Our latest insights prove that to stay relevant, brands and FMCGs must move beyond passive stocking and traditional distribution toward a hyper-localized, insight-led strategy. By aligning product availability with these deeply ingrained cultural cues, brands can capture the latent demand that often goes unseen in modern trade, effectively turning cultural nuances into a competitive advantage at the grassroots level,” Packworks Co-founder and Chief Platform Officer Hubert Yap said.

Packworks expects a 10% GMV growth and a 4% increase in transactions for this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations, as more Filipinos are buying the same product per transaction, particularly during the festive occasion.

For more info about Sari IQ and to uncover more in-depth data trends in sari-sari stores, you may visit http://packworks.io/ or Packworks’ Facebook page to learn more.

Google-PLDT “Air Laser” Collab Beams Instant Progress to Island Barangays

Residents of a barangay located on Talim Island off Rizal are already reaping the benefits of air laser technology deployed by PLDT and Google Taara last year.

Months after PLDT installed the country’s first Google Taara air laser sites in the town, teachers and barangay workers of Brgy. Subay in Cardona, Rizal has been able to harness high-speed connectivity to enhance classroom experiences with online materials, as well as deliver government services more efficiently.

Taara’s air laser uses light to beam data across long distances. On Talim Island, the system spans an 11.8-kilometer link across Laguna de Bay, delivering fiber-like internet speeds without the need for underwater cables and providing a vital boost for remote lakeside communities like Talim.

“Our deployment of Google Taara air laser technology here in Talim Island demonstrates how innovation can break through the physical barriers that have long limited connectivity in an archipelago of over 7,000 islands, particularly for remote and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs),” according to PLDT and Smart Head of Network Strategy and Architecture Eric Santiago.

“This solution allows us to deploy faster, at lower cost, with high-capacity links that can also serve as a resilient backup to existing networks. More importantly, it enables PLDT fiber to reach communities that are traditionally difficult to serve, bringing reliable digital access to the most remote and disadvantaged areas and advancing our mission to connect every Filipino to opportunity, essential services, and the digital economy.”

Where better connectivity means more engaged learners

Longtime educator Renelyn A. Antonil, 50, an English and Science teacher in Subay Elementary School for the past 25 years, has seen the impact of better connectivity firsthand -- right inside the classroom.

She recalled how the lack of reliable connectivity before made teaching difficult and frustrating: “We couldn’t search online about our lessons, and we couldn’t communicate that well, too,” she said.

However, with the fiber-like connectivity, she immediately noticed the impact on both her work and her students. “For example, we can now go on YouTube to get additional information and material for our students. That way, our lessons are more exciting. I have noticed that the students are more attentive now, compared to when we were just using manila paper.”

Faster barangay services -- ‘from weeks to minutes.’

Subay barangay secretary Luisito Ditablan can also attest to how enhanced connectivity has helped the barangay deliver government services more efficiently, especially during the pandemic.

“We used to do everything manually here—I remember when we still used typewriters,” Ditablan recalled. “But the pandemic changed everything. We had regular Zoom meetings. We had to transmit our reports online. Because of these new requirements, stable connectivity became a must.”

Today, fiber-like connectivity lets the barangay do much more for its residents. “Our processes used to be slow. Now, everything’s just a click away—barangay clearances, residency certificates—just a few clicks, and it’s done. What used to take weeks can now be finished faster—at times even in under three to five minutes,” he said.

Connectivity that follows him over land and over water

Reliable connectivity is also critical for Subay Elementary School principal Johnie Olorvida, who travels daily to the island—via motorbike and boat—from his home in Angono.

“Without reliable connectivity, you can’t download files immediately, and you can’t edit them right away,” he said. “During online meetings, you can’t hear, you can’t speak, sometimes you even disappear. That happens every so often during typhoons.”

Enhanced connectivity has offered a fix for these concerns. “These days, I’m connected whenever I go around the school, even when I go out,” he said. “Once, I had an online meeting, and I stayed connected throughout my walk to the boat, and even while the boat was crossing the lake, until I arrived at the port,” added Olorvida, a longtime Smart Prepaid subscriber.

In addition to the teachers and the students, Olorvida also noted that the school’s non-teaching personnel have also been able to benefit from better connectivity. “Our school clerks can now accomplish their reports and submit them faster.”

Harnessing new technologies to bridge the connectivity gap

PLDT’s investments in innovation to enhance its network are aligned with the Group's broader thrust to deliver leveled-up services to customers nationwide. It also supports PLDT and Smart's commitment to national development through strategic partnerships that bridge the digital divide, expand digital access, and enhance the delivery of essential services, such as education.

This also contributes to the PLDT Group’s endeavors to help the country achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), including SDG 4 - Quality Education, SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities.