In a world full of challenges, it is good to criticize if the objective is to improve and correct one's mistake, and it is also good to commend if the objective is to encourage someone to do better and to do more. The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) is one company who is very familiar with the word criticism. They have received the worst one could ever imagine. Most of them true but some of them not. The sad part is people ignore the good points about the company and the people behind it.
Last April 7, 2005, I had the pleasure of interviewing an old friend of mine in the person of Mr. Ariel Roda. Ariel is the senior vice president and head of business development group of PLDT. The interview is about PLDTs new offering called WeRoam. WeRoam is a new service of PLDT that allows mobility for a companys workforce while ensuring reliable local area network and Internet connectivity using Smart Communication Inc.'s mobile infrastructure. Unlike Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) where connectivity relies heavily on hotspots availability, WeRoam employs GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and Edge (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) technologies that can provide speeds of up to 170 kilobits per second (kbps) and nationwide cellsite-to-cellsite handover for a seamless connection while on the move. WeRoam packages range from P1,500 to P14,500 a month depending on a company's requirement.
To further enhance the offering, PLDT has teamed up with Intel to provide affordable notebook computers while Sierra Wireless will provide the Aircards or PC wireless access cards to enable wireless connectivity for the laptops. The beauty of this service is it opens up opportunities to everyone to work from anywhere specially to those without landlines and to those who cannot afford satellite technology. Simply put, PLDT WeRoam brings the internet closer to the people. Students can now surf the web and be more productive while companies can now join the digital economy.
But that's just one part of the story. During my discussion with Ariel, I found out that he is also the President of PLDT Online, Inc. - a project initiated by PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan. PLDT Online Inc. (www.pldtonline.com) allows users to make purchases via gift certificates, specially to our new heroes - the Overseas Contract Workers (OCWs). This project actually hits two birds in one stone. It protects the hard earned money of our OCWs and at the same time introduces our local producers/companies to the international market.
How many times have we heard stories about OCWs sending money to their love ones to buy or to pay for something specific but ends up being spent on something different from what it is intended for. There are also local companies that produces world class products but lacks the mechanism to penetrate the international market. With PLDT Online, these problems are a thing of the past. PLDT Online actually takes care of everything from marketing/promotion, payment and delivery allowing companies to focus on their core competence. The best of part of it all is the new service is for FREE. So how does it work :
A company simply needs to register and PLDT will evaluate their application. Once approved, each company will be allowed to post Ten (10) of their best products online which PLDT will handle. Products posted can now be bought online via GCs (gift certificates) and will then be delivered to the intended recipient. Currently, PLDT Online offers gift certificates for Jollibee, ShoeMart, Mercury Drug, National BookStore, Sodexho and Stores Specialist Inc. (Rustans). SMART and Talk n' Text prepaid cards are also available. PLDT Online Inc. now serves Filipinos in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and many other countries.
So all the buyer needs to do is to visit www.pldtonline.com, choose the desired item, pay it via credit card and that's it. PLDT Online delivers the GC anywhere in the Philippines. One additional attraction about this service is PLDT Online can opt to buy the products ahead of time from the seller. This procedure guarantees the seller that they will paid even before their product is actually sold. Ariel said that in the future, our OCWs can even pay their electricity, water, and other bills through PLDT Online.
Aside from catering to Filipinos abroad, Ariel told me that PLDT Online can also act as a conduit between our local companies and international companies for bulk purchases. The only difference for this kind of transaction is that the local company will be the one in charge of the delivery, everything else is again being taken cared of by PLDT Online Inc.
This is one offering our country needs at this time when everything seems to be going against us. An offering with zero invesment and zero risk for the seller. Local companies need not invest nor worry about their servers, software applications, payment gateways, security policies, and delivery mechanisms, and at the same time enjoy the benefits that this new digital economy is providing.
You may say the PLDT may be out of their minds by offering this service. To tell you that truth, I had the same impression as well. But then again, I realized that there comes a time in a man's life that happiness is no longer measured by the amount of money they earn, the number of awards and citations given to them, and the status and respect given to them by their peers. I believe personal gains is taking a back seat now for Mr. Pangilinan. Perhaps true success and happiness for him is now measured by how he can help uplift the lives of his countrymen in his own little ways and PLDT Online is one good way to start it. I just hope that this will not start and end with this project alone. More projects like this so that we can tell the whole world that the Philippines is ready and can become a major player in this digital economy.
My message to our dear readers: You need not be a PLDT, or to be MVP or Ariel to be able to help our country. Big or small, we all have our own role to play. Just make sure you do your contribution well.
Congratulations to MVP, Ariel and to the entire PLDT Online Inc. team!!!
Am logging off for now. God Bless us all!!!
