Global Certifications Affirm Network Resilience for PLDT, Smart

PLDT Inc. (PLDT), the Philippines’ leading integrated telecommunications company, and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), continue to strengthen alignment with internationally recognized standards as they announce the ISO 22301:2019 Business Continuity Management Systems certification of a key Smart facility in Palawan. This brings to 25 the total number of PLDT and Smart sites nationwide with certifications on business continuity, as of end April 2025.

“These certifications are globally recognized marks of excellence in business continuity, reaffirming our efforts to build, implement, and maintain a robust system of resilience. Operating in a country vulnerable to various disruptive incidents but where connectivity is essential, having the capability to deliver services despite disruptions is critical,” said Leo A. Gonzales, Vice President and Head of Property, Facilities, and Asset Resiliency Management at PLDT and Smart.

ISO 22301:2019 guides organizations in establishing a framework to consistently prevent, minimize, and recover from disruptive incidents, while mitigating financial and reputational impacts across critical facilities and operations. For PLDT and Smart, disruptive incidents include power and equipment outages, accidental damage from construction works, crime and cable theft, cybersecurity incidents, and climate change-related occurrences.

Emphasizing the link between business continuity and sustainability, Melissa V. Vergel de Dios, Chief Sustainability Officer at PLDT and Smart welcomed the continuing expansion of ISO-certified facilities across the group and highlighted relevance to the business. “With climate change bringing about more frequent and severe weather events in the country, our task is to mitigate its impacts on our business and our customers by ensuring that we can quickly restore our network and continue delivering our services amid disruptions. These ISO certifications affirm that we are prepared to do so and could serve as differentiators in the eyes of our existing and future customers,” she said.

According to the Asian Disaster Reduction Center, an average of 20 typhoons visit the Philippines every year, and five of which are destructive. PLDT and Smart thus consider climate change as one of their top enterprise risks and continue to integrate climate resilience into their operational design and facilities. In parallel, the group has been pursuing quality standardization measures over the past nine years to support thrusts for resiliency, operational excellence, and customer-centricity.

These initiatives align with PLDT and Smart’s commitment to support the Philippine government's overall digitalization thrust and contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), particularly UN SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.