ePLDT and VITRO REIT Inc. President and CEO Victor S. Genuino (rightmost) opened the program and welcomed guests, including (from left) Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioners Nelson Celis and Rey Bulay, Comelec Chair George Garcia, and Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr.
PLDT, Inc. is supporting the first regular Parliamentary Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) by providing connectivity and secure digital infrastructure for election-related operations.
In partnership with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), PLDT is providing critical connectivity services, while its VITRO data centers are hosting mission-critical servers that will receive election data transmitted directly from automated counting machines.
The arrangement builds on PLDT’s partnership with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which began in 2016 when the country transitioned to electronic counting machines and was further strengthened during the 2025 midterm elections.
PLDT is also providing connectivity for the PPCRV Command Center at AMA and distributing prepaid SIM cards to support election coordination and monitoring activities.
According to PLDT Chief Operating Officer Menardo G. Jimenez Jr., reliable connectivity and secure digital infrastructure are essential to supporting transparent and credible elections, particularly as BARMM prepares for its historic parliamentary polls.
The VITRO data centers are equipped with multiple layers of physical and technological security. The facilities are engineered to withstand earthquakes of up to Intensity 8 and feature redundant power generators and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems to maintain operations during commercial power interruptions. VITRO facilities are designed to provide service-level agreements of up to 99.99% uptime.
PLDT is supporting efforts to ensure the transparent and credible conduct of the first regular Parliamentary Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on September 14. As part of election preparations, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), led by Chair George Garcia (seated, third from left), together with representatives from iONE Resources and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), visited PLDT’s VITRO data centers in Makati and Parañaque. The facilities house critical servers that will receive election data transmitted directly from automated counting machines, continuing the infrastructure support provided during the previous midterm elections.
The BARMM Parliamentary Elections, scheduled for September 14, are considered a significant milestone in implementing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and advancing the region’s democratic transition.
PLDT said its election support forms part of its broader efforts to use connectivity, data center infrastructure, and digital technologies to strengthen public institutions. The company also supports initiatives such as the Bayanihan SIM Program and AI literacy efforts, including AI-in-a-Box, aimed at expanding digital access and technology readiness across the country.
The PLDT Group’s continued collaboration with government and civil society organizations underscores the growing role of secure telecommunications and data infrastructure in supporting critical public services and democratic institutions.
