Recognizing the heroic efforts of teachers to provide quality education to students amid the challenges of the continuing pandemic, PLDT has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) to celebrate the country’s hardworking teachers at the National Teachers’ Day/World Teachers’ Day (NTD/WTD) event on October 5. The virtual activity also served to culminate the National Teachers’ Month which started September 5.

With the theme Gurong Filipino: Katuwang sa Hamon, Kasama sa Pagbangon, the NTD/WTD is a tribute to teachers which highlighted their inspiring stories and recognized their achievements. It was spearheaded by DepEd’s External Partnerships Service (EPS) in collaboration with the DepEd Regional Office VII (Central Visayas) which hosted the event.

PLDT supported the NTD/WTD celebration by providing gift certificates worth P5,000 which were included in the raffle draw for teachers in 17 regions across the country where one winner was declared per region.

“In line with its core value of malasakit, PLDT has always supported teachers who help provide the foundation for our country. Without teachers, we wouldn’t have doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, presidents, and other leaders, to name a few,” said PLDT Community Relations Head Katherine P. Diaz De Rivera. “We appreciate their courageous efforts in continuing their work despite the pandemic restrictions, and we congratulate and salute them, not only on National/World Teachers’ Day, but each day of every year,” Diaz De Rivera noted.

PLDT likewise supports DepEd’s National Brigada Eskwela, providing refurbished personal computers to various public schools across the country to enable teachers to attend webinars, and communicate online with their students and parents. PLDT has also donated printers and reams of bond paper to some DepEd schools to support teachers and students as they carry out their blended mode of teaching and learning.

Supporting educators and ensuring access to education for all, fall under the broad corporate social responsibility program of PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart, which seeks to create wider opportunities that will improve and rebuild the lives and livelihood of Filipinos.

To ensure that there is #NoLearnerLeftBehind, PLDT and Smart enable learning communities through technology. This is also part of their commitment to help the country achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #4: Inclusive Quality Education.