Quarterlytics / Communication Services / Telecommunications Services / PLDT

PLDT

phi · NYSE Communication Services
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Sector Communication Services
Industry Telecommunications Services
Employees 10,000+
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FY2006 Annual Report · PLDT
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 C O N T E N T S

Comparative Highlights 

Consolidated Financial Performance Highlights 

A Message from the Chairman of the Board 

A Letter from the President and CEO 

Enabling the Nation 

Becoming a Global Player 

Serving the Global Pinoy 

Building Businesses for Micro Entrepreneurs 

Corporate Social Responsibility: Enabling Communities 

Corporate Governance: A Way of Life 

The Board of Directors and Committees 

2

3

4-6

7-9

10-11

12-13

14-16

17-18

19-21

22-23

24-25 

Registrars, Transfer Agents and Depositary

Officers 

2006 PLDT Group Significant Events 

Financial Review 

Audit Committee Report for 2006 

Statement of Management’s Responsibility

     for Financial Statements  

Report of Independent Auditors 

Consolidated Balance Sheets 

Consolidated Statements of Income 

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

Registrars, Transfer Agents and Depositary

26-27

28

29-60

61

62

63

64-65

66

67

68-69

70-128

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

PLDT is the leading telecommunications service provider 

in the Philippines. Through its three principal business 

groups—wireless, fixed line, and information and 

communications technology—PLDT offers the largest and 

most diversified range of telecommunications services across 

the Philippines’ most extensive fiber optic backbone and 

wireless, fixed line and satellite networks.

PLDT is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE:

TEL) and its American Depositary Shares are listed on the 

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:PHI). PLDT has one of 

the largest market capitalizations among Philippine-listed 

companies.

SUBSIDIARIES
Wireless
SMART COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
PILIPINO TELEPHONE CORPORATION
TELESAT, INC.
ACeS PHILIPPINES CELLULAR SATELLITE CORPORATION
MABUHAY SATELLITE CORPORATION

Fixed Line
PLDT CLARK TELECOM, INC.
SUBIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, INC.
PLDT GLOBAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
PLDT-MARATEL, INC.
BONIFACIO COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
SMART-NTT MULTIMEDIA, INC.

Information and Communications Technology
ePLDT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
ePLDT VENTUS, INC.
SPi TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

MISSION STATEMENT

PLDT will be the preferred full service provider of voice, video and data at 
the most attractive levels of price, service quality, content and coverage, 
thereby bringing maximum benefit to the Company’s stakeholders.

COMPARATIVE HIGHLIGHTS

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

  P     82,093 
12,145 
857 

P    100,604 
10,714 
965 

P     115,206 
6,269 
4,729 

P    121,062 
3,312 
1,670 

P      124,934 
2,967 
5,740 

95,095 

112,283 

126,204 

126,044 

133,641 

22,081 
11,026 
20,876 
3,867 
17,281 
3,648 
30,759 

23,606 
14,740 
26,550 
4,931 
16,094 
4,394 
21,421 

21,405 
12,025 
19,264 
5,671 
11,352 
5,478 
18,077 

30,822 
14,136 
9,133 
6,705 
6,501 
5,093 
15,039 

31,869 
18,359 
9,084 
6,886 
5,522 
5,010 
14,722 

P   109,538 

P    111,736 

P       93,272 

P      87,429 

P        91,452 

FINANCIAL INFORMATION (in millions, except 
         cash dividends per share of common stock)

Revenues and Other Income
Service Revenues
Non-service Revenues
Other Income

Expenses

Depreciation and Amortization
Compensation and Benefits
Financing Costs
Maintenance
Costs of Sales
Selling and Promotions
All Others

Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Equity Holders of PLDT

(P    15,613)

P        1,363 

P       28,031 

P      34,112 

P        35,116 

Property, Plant and Equipment
Accumulated Depreciation, Amortization and Impairment

P   290,743 
87,162 

P    306,862 
112,072 

P     324,991 
130,466 

P    331,537 
154,563 

P      347,408 
183,218 

Net

P   203,581 

P    194,790 

P     194,525 

P    176,974 

P      164,190 

Capital Expenditures

P     16,904 

P      18,019 

P       21,162 

P      14,990 

P        20,674 

Debt1

P   183,145 

P    178,589 

P     149,088 

P    103,544 

P        79,953 

Equity Attributable to Equity Holders of PLDT

P     22,823 

P      19,361 

P       46,330 

P      73,207 

P      102,977 

Cash Dividends Declared and Paid Per Share

of Common Stock

OPERATING INFORMATION

P         1.20 

P               –

P                – 

P        56.00 

P          78.00 

Number of Cellular Subscribers

8,599,306 

12,947,197 

19,208,232 

20,408,621 

24,175,384 

Number of Fixed Line Subscribers

1,848,395 

1,869,770 

1,834,306 

1,842,507 

1,776,647 

Number of Stockholders

2,144,953 

2,207,008 

2,200,367 

2,193,525 

2,189,374 

Number of Employees
         Wireless
         Fixed Line
         ICT

1  Represents short-term and long-term debt.

18,704 
5,008 
12,351 
1,345 

17,653 
4,977 
10,518 
2,158 

18,433 
5,289 
9,692 
3,452 

18,926 
5,137
9,197
4,592 

28,219 
5,358
8,711 
14,150 

2

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

Service Revenues
(in billion pesos)

Subscriber Base
(in millions)

124.9

.

8
7
7

121.1

.

9
3
7

115.2

.

1
8
6

100.6

.

7
3
5

140 

 —

120 

 —

100 

 —

80   

   —

82.1

.

7
5
3

60   

   —

30 

 —

25 

 —

20 

 —

15 

 —

26.0

.

2
4
2

22.2

.

4
0
2

21.0

.

2
9
1

14.8

.

9
2
1

40   

   —

.

8
5
4

.

6
5
4

.

1
5
4

.

4
4
4

.

3
1
4

10 

 —

10.4

6
8

.

20   

   —

  0 

6
0

.

3
1

.

0
2

.

8
2

.

8
5

.

2002 

     2003        2004            2005 

2006

5   

 —

0

8
1

.

9
1

.

8
1

.

8
1

.

8
1

.

2002 

     2003        2004            2005 

2006

ICT              Fixed Line              Wireless

Fixed Line              Cellular

Cash Flows from Operations
(in billion pesos)

Market Capitalization
(Year-end, in billion pesos)

Share Price
(Year-end, in pesos)

67.7

76.2

74.5

56.0

54.6

481

332

232

164

46

6
0
0
2

5
0
0
2

4
0
0
2

3
0
0
2

2
0
0
2

6
0
0
2

5
0
0
2

4
0
0
2

3
0
0
2

2
0
0
2

6
0
0
2

5
0
0
2

4
0
0
2

3
0
0
2

2
0
0
2

2,550

1,835

1,360

970

270

3

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MESSAGE FROM   THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

My Fellow Shareholders,

Our Company sustained its strong performance across all metrics in the year 2006, 
despite increasingly demanding operational and competitive challenges.

Service revenues, net profits and cash flows remained robust in the year. PLDT continued 
to  pay  down  debt  and  raise  dividend  payments  to  historically  unprecedented  levels.  Our 
Company stepped up its investments in next generation technologies and embarked in new 
ventures such as business process outsourcing (BPO) in order to better position our Company 
to deliver further growth in the years ahead.

As  a  result  of  these  initiatives,  we  have  made  major  strides  in  transforming  PLDT  into  a 
diversified telecoms conglomerate offering next generation services that combine connectivity 
with compelling content and innovative applications.

Performance Drivers: Cellular and Data

Our financial performance continued to be driven by our healthy cellular and data revenues 
as well as our rapidly-rising information and communications technology (ICT) businesses, 
even as we stabilized our fixed line business.

Reported net income reached Php35.1 billion in 2006, up 3% from 2005. Core net profit 
– which excludes exceptional gains – rose by 9% to Php31.5 billion. Service revenues and 
EBITDA both increased by 3% to Php124.9 billion and Php79.7 billion, respectively.

The Group’s balance sheet further strengthened as consolidated debt balances continued to 
decline. As at 31st December 2006, net debt stood at US$1.2 billion. Net debt to EBITDA 
and net debt to free cash flow ratios improved to 0.7 times and 1.7 times, respectively.

In  this  regard,  I  note  with  great  satisfaction  that  Pilipino  Telephone  Corporation  (Piltel) 
extinguished  the  balance  of  its  outstanding  restructured  debt  after  repaying  a  total  of 
US$408.6 million in two installments in 2006. This has left Piltel debt-free and places it 
in a position to declare dividends in the near future. Such a prospect was unthinkable eight 
years ago when it seemed that Piltel’s financial fortunes were beyond redemption.   

As  we  endeavor  to  move  the  PLDT  Group  ahead  in  its  transformation  process  to  provide 
next generation communications, capital expenditures during the year increased to Php20.7 
billion.  The investments we continue to make in our infrastructure is a key enabler for us 
to provide a wider array of products and services to our customers,  whose taste for new and 
innovative products continues to grow in sophistication and for better value.  Notwithstanding 
the  increase  in  our  capital  expenditures,  consolidated  free  cash  flow  remained  healthy  at 
Php31.6 billion.   

As of the date of the release of this Annual Report, we paid out Php100 in total dividends per 
share, representing a total payout of 60% of our 2006 core earnings. Total dividend payouts 
thus increased by 53% to Php18.8 billion, from Php12.3 billion in 2005.  Our Company’s 
robust cash flows, coupled with a strong balance sheet, allowed us to enhance the returns we 
give to our shareholders, while maintaining significant financial flexibility in the event that 
attractive investment opportunities emerge for us to realize.  

We ended the year 2006 with our share price at Php2,550, up 39% from the prior year’s 
closing. Our market capitalization as at 31st December 2006 thus stood at Php481 billion, 
confirming  our  position  as  the  country’s  largest  capitalized  company.    On  10th  November, 
2006, your confidence in our Company allowed us to establish a new all-time high as the 
share price traded as high as Php2,610, and closed at a record of Php2,580.   

4

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

w

       e are in the 
process of moving 
from traditional 
telco businesses 
to what we call 
Next Generation 
Communications.

Looking forward to 2007, our view is that PLDT’s performance will be influenced by a number 
of  factors,  including  efforts  at  identifying  and  building  new  revenue  sources  for  the  PLDT 
Group, continuing cost controls, the volatility in the Philippine peso to U.S. dollar exchange 
rates and rising income tax provisions. For 2007, we estimate our core net income to rise to 
the range of Php32 – Php33 billion. Moreover, the gap between core and reported revenues 
will  begin  to  close  as  the  declining  debt  levels  of  the  Group  reduce  the  impact  of  foreign 
exchange movements on our profit position.

Managing Transition 

PLDT’s 2006 results are best understood in the context of the ongoing transformation being 
undertaken by the Group. We are in the process of moving from traditional telco businesses 
to what we call next generation communications.

We are at a critical stage of this transition – a time when a delicate balance must be struck 
between the need to capitalize on our existing businesses while building the businesses of 
the future.

To successfully manage this transition, the Group is pursuing the following strategies:

• 

• 

• 

• 

Maximize  the  value  of  existing  businesses.  This  requires  taking  full  advantage  of 
revenue opportunities presented by the Group’s existing subscriber base and existing 
infrastructure – both of which are the largest and most extensive in the  industry.

Develop new revenue streams. We are pursuing innovation in various fronts such as 
enhancing the utility of cellular phones for the largest possible number of users, growing 
aggressively our broadband and other data services, propagating our m-commerce and 
remittance services, and expanding our call center and BPO businesses.

Improve operating efficiencies. There is a clear need to control costs even as we deal 
with  exceptional  demands  created  by  the  transition  process.  We  are  re-engineering 
our business and technical processes to align them with the requirements of our Next 
Generation Network (NGN) roll out. Moreover, the Group is striving to improve  quality 
of service even as we offer increasingly more complex products and services.

Deliver growth and enhance shareholder returns. This requires maintaining the proper 
balance  of  free  cash  flow  utilization  between  investments  in  new  growth  areas  and 
returning cash to shareholders. Depending on how conditions unfold in 2007, we shall 
consider alternative measures to enhance further cash returns to shareholders.  

Early Results

Some  aspects  of  this  transformation  have  already  been  evident  in  PLDT’s  performance  in 
2006. 

Significantly, data, broadband and ICT revenues were up by 18% to Php56.1 billion, offsetting 
a 6% decline in the combined fixed line and cellular voice revenues – traditionally the bread-
and-butter business of a telco.   

Noteworthy is the rapid growth of our broadband business on the back of the Group’s wired 
and wireless infrastructures. Internet and broadband revenues grew by 49% to Php5.2 billion 
as the number of PLDT myDSL and SmartBro broadband subscribers more than doubled to 
265,000 by year end.  

5

ePLDT’s ICT service revenues more than doubled from 
Php3.0  billion  in  2005  to  Php6.3  billion  in  2006, 
driven by the growth of its call center (ePLDT Ventus) 
and the acquisition of SPi Technologies, Inc. (SPi) which 
is  ranked  fourth  globally  amongst  the  “Top  Best  BPO 
Providers.” 

These  results  augur  well  for  the  Group’s  efforts  to 
develop  new  revenue  sources  and  to  build  or  acquire 
businesses beyond traditional telecommunications. 

New Initiatives

In  late  2006  and  early  2007,  MediaQuest  Holdings, 
Inc.    (MediaQuest),  a  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of  the 
PLDT  Beneficial  Trust  Fund,  and  Smart  joined  hands 
to  conduct  test  broadcasts  of  a  mobile  TV  service 
using the Digital Video Broadcast – Handheld (DVB-H) 
standard. This was made possible through MediaQuest’s 
subsidiary,  Nation  Broadcasting  Corp.,  which  has  a 
broadcast franchise and already operates a network of 
radio stations.

We expect to launch the commercial service of Mobile 
TV  in  collaboration  with  the  MediaQuest  Group 
sometime  mid-2007,  highlighting  the  Group’s  efforts 
in  combining  connectivity  with  video  content  for  an 
entirely new consumer experience. 

In February 2007 at the 3GSM Congress in Barcelona, 
Spain, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) announced 
that it would soon launch pilot projects in the Middle 
East  and  Europe  which  offer  low-cost  remittance 
services  using  its  cellular  phone-based  financial 
services platform. Called the Smart Services Hub, the 
platform will enable migrant workers using the services 
of Smart’s telco and banking partners abroad to send 
remittances to the Philippines via SIM-based services 
anytime, anywhere – effectively, money at the speed of 
a text message.

Anchored on the Smart Money platform, Smart’s next 
generation  mobile  commerce  services  will  impact  on 
a wide range of businesses, extending their reach and 
enabling them to serve a larger market at lower cost.

If  you  recall,  Smart  Money  and  Smart  Load  enabled 
Smart to broaden the market for cellular phone services 
by  offering  electronic  airtime  load  in  small  “sachet” 
packs.  By  working  with  partners  to  apply  mobile 
commerce technologies to the financial, transport, retail 
and other industries, the Group will build profitable new 
businesses while raising the efficiencies and enhancing 
the capabilities of key economic infrastructure sectors.

Our  unfolding  initiatives  in  next  generation  mobile 
commerce  are  enabling  us  to  develop  platforms  and 
services that are geographically agnostic. This opens up 
new and exciting opportunities for the Group to offer our 

6

services  across  borders  and  serve  markets  previously 
beyond the reach of any Philippine telco.

Partner in Development

By  moving  up  the  value  chain  through  advanced 
services, PLDT is expanding its role as a serious partner 
in the country’s overall development. In the past, our 
innovations have helped made modern fixed and mobile 
communications  more  affordable  and  available  to 
Filipinos throughout the archipelago. The new services 
and  solutions  that  we  are  beginning  to  roll  out  will 
further enhance consumer welfare.

to  building  our  businesses 

is 
This  approach 
complemented  by  active  involvement  in  a  variety  of 
corporate  social  responsibility  programs.  Through  the 
PLDT-Smart  Foundation, the Group is pursuing projects 
in  the  following  key  areas:  (1)  enhanced  education 
by  providing  broadband  access  to  public  schools 
nationwide  and  through  the  Gabay  Guro  program; 
(2)  community  development  through  the  continued 
support  to  Gawad  Kalinga,  military  housing  and  a 
national disaster reduction and management program;  
(3) youth development efforts with the Department of 
Education and the building of a juvenile rehabilitation 
center;  (4)  poverty  alleviation  through  broadband 
livelihood  projects  and  microfinance 
in 
cooperation  with  the  Philippine  Business  for  Social 
Progress;  and  (5)  sports  development  through  a 
nationwide  grassroots  campaign  with  the  Samahang 
Basketbol  ng  Pilipinas–Basketball  Association  of  the 
Philippines (SBP-BAP).

lending 

Conclusion

“eNabling the Nation” – the theme for this year’s Report 
– captures the exciting developments that have taken 
place within PLDT in 2006 and the possibilities that lie 
ahead in 2007 and beyond.

In  conclusion,  I  must  underscore  that  the  excellent 
condition  of  our  Company  today  is  the  result  of  the 
dedicated  efforts  of  our  management  and  staff,  the 
wise counsel of our Board of Directors and the generous 
support of our shareholders.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and our more than 
28,000  people,  let  me  assure  our  Shareholders  that 
we  at  PLDT  remain  committed  to  excellence  in  all 
our endeavors, as we strive to create a new future for 
ourselves and the country. 

MANUEL V. PANGILINAN
Chairman of the Board

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT  AND CEO 

Dear Shareholders,

I am pleased  to report that our Company continues to perform strongly as we 
reported  a  consolidated  net  income  of  Php35.1  billion  for  2006.  This  year’s  results 
benefited from the reversal of earlier provisions made in connection with an onerous 
contract  relating  to  our  satellite  subsidiary,  ACeS,  offset  by  lower  foreign  exchange 
translation gains and lower benefit from the recognition of certain deferred tax assets, 
additional depreciation expense as well as higher asset impairment charges. Service 
revenues  for  the  PLDT  Group  increased  by  3%  to  Php124.9  billion,  consolidated 
EBITDA improved by 3% to Php79.7 billion while EBITDA margin remained at 64% 
in 2006. More importantly, our core net income, net of the exceptional items, rose to 
Php31.5 billion in 2006, 9% over the core net income of Php29.0 billion in 2005. Core 
earnings attributable to each common share reached Php168 per share, an increase of 
5% compared to Php160 per share in 2005.

Operating Highlights

Wireless 
Consolidated wireless service revenues rose to Php78.4 billion for the full year 2006, 
5% higher than the Php74.7 billion realized last year, with cellular subsidiaries, Smart 
and Piltel continuing their solid performance. Service revenues of Php20.4 billion in 
the fourth quarter were 5% higher than the third quarter revenues due to the increased 
usage  normally  associated  with  the  holiday  season  despite  the  negative  impact  of 
natural calamities such as several typhoons which interrupted service in certain local 
areas intermittently.

Consolidated  wireless  EBITDA  improved  by  5%  to  Php50.3  billion  in  2006  from 
Php47.9 billion in 2005 while EBITDA margins stayed at 64%.

The  PLDT  Group’s  total  cellular  subscriber  base  for  the  year  grew  by  3.8  million  to 
24.2 million. For the year, Smart recorded net additions of approximately 1.74 million 
subscribers while Talk ‘N Text added about 2.0 million subscribers to end 2006 with 
17.2  million  and  7.0  million  subscribers,  respectively.  In  February  2007,  the  PLDT 
Group’s  cellular  subscriber  base  surpassed  the  25  million  mark  as  Smart  and  Piltel 
added 900,000 new subscribers in the first two months of the year.

For 2006, Smart focused on segmenting its market by offering sector-specific, value-
driven  packages  such  as  All  Text  –  a  new  variety  of  top-up  service  providing  a  fixed 
number  of  messages  with  prescribed  validity  periods.  Voice  offerings  included  Tipid 
Talk and All Talk 20. In January 2007, Smart expanded on the All Text concept and 
introduced LAHATxt, a top-up which offers a bundle of text messages applicable to all 
networks, with LAHATxt 35 available to all Smart prepaid subscribers and LAHATxt 20 
for Talk ‘N Text subscribers. These innovative packages provide better network efficiency 
while increasing yield per SMS.

The second half of 2006 also saw a series of marketing initiatives designed to enhance 
both consumer product benefits as well as brand equities. Smart  launched the “Ang 
Saya”  thematic  campaign,  positioning  Smart  Buddy  as  an  innovative  lifestyle  brand 
which adds excitement, fun and helps you get more “life out of life,” while Talk ‘N Text, 
on the other hand, had its “Gumagaan ang Life” thematic campaign affirming Talk ‘N 
Text’s superior value proposition aimed at lower-income segments of the market.

7

O Last February 12, 2007, at the 3GSM Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Smart announced 

that it would soon launch pilot projects in the Middle East and Europe offering low-cost 
remittance services using its cellular phone-based financial services platform. Called 
the Smart Services Hub, the platform will enable mobile operators and banks to serve 
the  remittance  needs  of  migrant  workers  in  their  respective  countries.  Through  the 
platform,  these  workers  will  be  able  to  send  remittances  to  their  countries  via  SIM-
based services anytime, anywhere–all at the speed of a text message. Smart’s initiatives 
are part of the global mobile money transfer program of the GSM Association, the global 
association of GSM operators. Supported by 19 of the world’s leading mobile operators, 
this program aims to create a money transfer solution that will take advantage of the 
pervasiveness of cellular phone networks worldwide in order to lower the cost and raise 
the speed of remittances. 

ur core  
net income, 
net of the 
exceptional 
items, rose to 
Php31.5 billion 
in 2006, 9% 
over the core 
net income of 
Php29.0 billion 
in 2005.

Smart will launch its cellular-based money transfer pilot in the Gulf state of Bahrain, 
under the brand name Smart Remit, in tandem with MTC Vodafone Bahrain of the MTC 
Group, one of the leading cellular phone groups in the region. Smart is also firming 
up a partnership with a leading regional bank based in Bahrain. In Europe, Smart is 
pursuing a similar arrangement with a mobile operator and a bank operating in Italy. 

Consistent with its intent to develop new businesses beyond cellular, Smart has grown 
its wireless broadband subscriber base to about 122,000 by the end of 2006 under its 
SmartBro wireless broadband service. SmartBro added 29,000 new subscribers in the 
fourth quarter alone. Smart now has close to 2,500 wireless broadband-enabled base 
stations providing high-speed Internet access to about 500 cities and municipalities all 
over the Philippines. The increasing network coverage of SmartBro continues to provide 
the PLDT Group with a complementary service in areas that are currently not covered 
by PLDT’s Fixed Line DSL service.

Fixed Line
Fixed  Line  service  revenues  decreased  by  1%  to  Php49.1  billion  in  2006  from 
Php49.7 billion in 2005 as improvements in data revenues, both from corporate data 
and residential DSL services, were offset by the continued decline in revenues from 
the local exchange and ILD services. Our dollar-linked revenues arising from the local 
exchange  and  ILD  businesses  were  adversely  impacted  by  the  6.8%  appreciation  of 
the average Philippine peso to U.S. dollar exchange rate in 2006. Fixed Line revenues 
would have improved 2% year-on-year if foreign exchange rates had remained stable.

Retail  DSL  continued  to  grow  as  broadband  subscribers  exceeded  133,000  at  the 
end of 2006 with approximately 300,000 subscribers using our Vibe dial-up Internet 
service.  PLDT DSL and Vibe contributed Php3.5 billion in revenues for 2006, up 32% 
from Php2.7 billion in 2005. PLDT DSL and Vibe made up 69% of the PLDT Group’s 
broadband and Internet revenues for the year.

Fixed  Line  EBITDA  in  2006  declined  slightly  to  Php28.4  billion  in  line  with  the 
decrease in revenues; EBITDA margin remained stable at 58%.

ICT
ePLDT, the Group’s information and communications technology arm, reported service 
revenues of Php6.3 billion for 2006, a 115% increase from Php3.0 billion last year, 
driven  by  the  continued  growth  in  the  call  center  business  (ePLDT  Ventus)  and  the 
consolidation of SPi, after its acquisition in July 2006.

Consolidated call center revenues continued to make significant gains, growing 35% to 
Php2.6 billion as a result of increased capacity utilization and billable hours, for new 
and existing clients despite the appreciation of the peso. ePLDT Ventus now operates 

8

                                              
 
         
PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

seven  facilities  with  combined  seats  of  5,600  and  an 
employee base of 6,482.

paid to third party creditors with the balance being paid 
to parent company, Smart.

SPi,  on  the  other  hand,  generated  revenues  of 
Php4.8 billion in 2006, of which Php2.4 billion were 
consolidated into ePLDT from July 2006 onwards, after 
ePLDT completed its acquisition that month.  In addition 
to  the  Philippines  and  the  U.S.A.,  SPi  has  operations 
in  India  and  Vietnam.  Consolidated  seats  total  3,700 
of  which  80%  are  located  in  the  Philippines.  SPi 
was  ranked  fourth  globally  among  the  “Top  Best  BPO 
Providers”  and  fifth  among  “Top  Leaders  in  Human 
Capital  Development”  by  CMP/Cybermedia.  SPi  has 
also  been  included  in  the  “Leaders  Category”  for  The 
2007  Global  Outsourcing  100  by  the  International 
Association of Outsourcing Professionals.

Together,  our  contact  center  business—voice  and 
data—had approximately 9,300 seats and a manpower 
complement of close to 12,000. ePLDT’s participation 
in these key growth sectors allows the PLDT Group to 
diversify its revenue base and tap into markets outside 
the domestic economy.

Financial Initiatives

The  Group’s  consolidated  balance  sheet  continued  to 
strengthen  with  the  consolidated  debt  balance  down 
to US$2.1 billion.  The PLDT Group reduced debts by 
US$713 million, significantly ahead of the stated target 
of US$500 million set at the beginning of the year.

Consolidated  free  cash  flow  remained  strong  at 
Php31.6  billion  in  2006  despite  the  increases  in 
capital expenditures and working capital requirements. 
Consolidated capital expenditures increased to Php20.7 
billion,  or  38%  higher  than  2005  levels,  and  were 
primarily utilized on the rollout of our 3G network and 
150,000  NGN  lines,  the  build-out  of  2,300  wireless 
broadband-capable  base  stations  and  the  expansion 
of  the  Company’s  nationwide  Domestic  Fiber  Optic 
Network. Total capital expenditures for 2006 remained 
below annual depreciation costs and represented 17% 
of service revenues. Capital expenditures for the Group 
are expected to range between Php20 – Php22 billion  
in 2007.

Approximately  Php21  billion  of  our  cash  was  utilized 
to repay debt with another Php18.8 billion being used 
to  payout  cash  dividends  and  the  balance  of  Php9.5 
billion  for  investments  in  new  businesses.  On  4th 
December  2006,  Piltel  made  a  final  prepayment  of 
US$232.6 million, representing the balance of Piltel’s 
total  outstanding  restructured  debt  after  the  initial 
amount  of  US$176  million  was  prepaid  on  5th  June 
2006.  Of the total prepayments, US$127 million was 

Dividend Payments

On 6th March 2007, our Company’s Board of Directors 
declared  a  final  dividend  of  Php50  per  share.  Added 
to  the  previously  paid  interim  dividend  of  Php50  per 
share, total dividends attributable to our 2006 earnings 
will amount to Php100 per share, representing a payout 
of 60% of 2006 core earnings. Total dividend payments 
for  2006  increased  by  53%  to  Php18.8  billion,  from 
Php12.3 billion in 2005.

Direction  for  2007  –  Pursuing  and  Managing 
Change

We must remember that the move to NGN is not the goal  
in itself but rather a key enabler for the Group’s transformation 
to what we call Next Generation Communications. This 
transformation goes beyond upgrading our network to an 
all-IP NGN. We will need to re-engineer our processes, 
integrate our platforms, transform our products and  
re-orient our people. In so doing, we will enable the 
PLDT Group not only to cope with change but to benefit 
from it as well. In 2006, we saw the beginnings of this 
transformation as we rolled out NGN, 3G and wireless 
broadband.  In 2007, we will work on the integration 
of our information technology and other convergent 
platforms. We will maximize the opportunities provided 
by  our  large  subscriber  base  and  our  extensive 
infrastructure,  especially  in  the  rapidly  expanding 
broadband space where we can harness our fixed and 
wireless capabilities to capitalize on its huge potential. 
We will continue to drive innovation as exemplified 
by  our  recent  initiatives  on  the  m-commerce  and 
remittance fronts.

To echo the words of our Chairman, Manuel V. Pangilinan, 
beyond protecting our base businesses and developing 
new revenue streams, we are cognizant of the pivotal 
role we play in nation building. Our investments will 
equip our country with the requisite infrastructure to 
continue its economic progress and, at the same time, 
provide Filipinos everywhere with relevant, high-value 
and affordable services.

NAPOLEON L. NAZARENO
President and CEO

9

eNABLING THE
NATION

By the nature of its business, telecommunications 
acts as a catalyst for development. In a world that 
relies  on  seamlessly  passing  around  gigabytes 
of  data  for  its  living  and  leisure,  the  industry’s 
vital role in the life of countries and communities 
everywhere looms larger than ever.

In the Philippines, telecommunications has become a highly visible 
economic force. For the past decade, it has become one of the bright 
spots in the Philippine economy, contributing significantly to economic 
growth, investment, employment and government revenues.

By one count, the sector (which covers fixed and mobile telephony) 
accounted for about 4% of total gross domestic product (GDP) and  
6%-7%  of  total  investments  between  1999  and  2003.  Wages  and 
salaries for direct employment amounted to around US$300 million 
in  2005  alone.  Total  taxes  paid  by  various  telecommunications 
companies account for 6%-7% of the government’s tax collections.

The  indirect  economic  contribution  of  the  industry  is  even  more 
substantial. In a study of the cellular phone industry in India, China 
and the Philippines done by McKinsey & Company, it was found that 
the  total  economic  impact  of  mobile  telephony  in  these  economies 
was several times larger than its direct contribution. 

In the case of the Philippines, mobile operators contributed 2% of GDP 
in 2005. But with its spill-over effects considered, the contribution 
rises  to  7.5%  of  GDP.  This  spill-over  effect  can  be  clearly  seen  in 

10

employment.  While more than 20,000 people were directly employed by mobile 
operators, another 40,000 to 60,000 were employed in supporting industries.

The rapid growth of the telecommunications industry has brought considerable 
benefits  to  its  customers.  First  of  all,  as  a  result  of  huge  investments, 
telecommunications  companies  have  expanded  their  respective  networks. 
The  cellular  phone  network  of  Smart  for  example  now  covers  99%  of  the 
population.

Price levels have also fallen across mobile, IDD and local toll calls by 30%, 26% 
and  7%,  respectively,  since  1998.  The  McKinsey  study  showed,  for  example, 
that the average mobile service prices in the Philippines declined by 40% from 
2002 to 2006 – a larger reduction than in Europe where prices fell by 21% and 
the United States, where prices rose by 8%. In fact, price levels in Europe and 
the Philippines were about the same in 2002, but by 2006, had fallen further 
in  the  Philippines  than  in  Europe.  On  the  average,  prices  in  the  Philippines 
have also fallen more than in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region – a sign 
perhaps that competitive forces are very much at work in the Philippines.

Competition has certainly made the Philippine telecommunications industry one 
of the most innovative in the world. Both PLDT and Smart, for example, have 
won international and local awards for pace-setting innovations in fields such as 
mobile commerce (for Smart Money and Smart Load) and data solutions (PLDT’s 
Shops.work, SWUP, F.A.S.Track and PLDT WeRoam).

Filipinos  have  taken  advantage  of  the  wide  availability  of  fixed  and  wireless 
services  to  raise  their  productivity  and  enhance  their  leisure.  Farmers  and 
fishermen now routinely exchange price and supply information regarding their  
produce.  Families  keep  in  touch  daily  with  their  relatives  working  overseas 
through text messaging.

The  catalytic  role  of  telecommunications  has  become  even  more  pronounced 
in  the  data-driven  world  of  the  21st  century.  The  sunrise  industries  of  today, 
where  the  Philippines  has  a  competitive  edge,  rely  heavily  on  broadband 
communications. 

A  case  in  point  are  call  centers  and  BPO  firms.  There  are  about  200  call 
centers and BPO firms operating in the country with roughly 200,000 agents. 
The  government  is  banking  on  this  industry  to  keep  on  growing,  generating 
and  bringing  in  more  well-paying  jobs  and  more  substantial  foreign  exchange 
income.

For  this  to  happen  –  and  other  growth  sectors  of  the  economy  to  prosper  –
the telecommunications industry must provide the enabling infrastructure and 
supporting services.

The articles that follow provide examples of how the PLDT Group is enabling the 
nation.

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

F

    ilipinos have 
taken advantage
of the wide 
availability of 
fixed and  
wireless services 
to raise their 
productivity 
and enhance 
their leisure.

11

OUTSOURCING INDUSTRY

Becoming a

GLOBAL PLAYER

Back in 2002, Rodella “Deng” Perez shifted careers from being a nurse at one of 
the country’s leading hospitals to working at one of the country’s pioneer BPO companies. 

She started as a supervisor for SPi’s newly established Healthcare business unit and worked 
in  medical  transcription,  transcribing  at  least  500  lines  a  day.  Today,  she  is  a  Quality 
Manager, overseeing quality assurance for all Healthcare projects.  “I see myself growing 
here,” Deng says. Indeed, she and several hundred thousand other Filipinos.

Deng is one of the fast growing number of Filipinos working in the country’s outsourcing 
sector.  Recognized as the “sunshine industry” in the Philippines, the BPO industry generated 
US$2.1 billion in offshore revenues in 2006, a huge leap from the start of the decade when 
the outsourcing industry had revenues of just US$24 million and employed 2,400 people.

Today, about 200,000 people work in approximately 200 call centers and BPO companies. 
According to some forecasts, by the year 2010, outsourcing in the Philippines will be earning 
US$11 billion annually and employing 900,000 people.

The recent surge in growth in the outsourcing industry in the Philippines has been powered 
by BPO covering legal services, web design, medical transcription, software development, 
animation and shared services.

12

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

ePLDT  Ventus  had  over  5,130  employees  providing 
customer  care,  billing,  technical  support  and  sales 
and collections services to U.S. companies operating 
in  fields  such  as  satellite  TV,  consumer  electronics, 
financial services and pharmaceuticals.

ePLDT Ventus has enjoyed rapid organic growth and has 
thus  been  expanding  its  facilities  to  cope  with  rising 
demand  for  its  services.  Its  latest  call  center  site  in 
Libertad,  Mandaluyong  City,  was  completed  in  record 
time  in  2006.  The  600-seat  facility  complements  the 
existing ePLDT Ventus facilities in 6 other locations—two 
in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig; and one each in Jupiter, Makati 
City; Garnet, Pasig City; East Avenue, Quezon City; PLDT’s 
MGO Building, Makati City; and Molo, Iloilo City.

With the combined workforce of ePLDT Ventus and SPi, 
ePLDT now employs over 15,000 agents, and utilizes 
8,500 seats, in its combined outsourcing operations.

Its  outsourcing 
revenues  are  growing  briskly. 
Consolidated  call  center  revenues  of  ePLDT  Ventus 
rose  from  Php1.9  billion  in  2005  to  Php2.6  billion 
to 2006. SPi on the other hand, generated revenues 
amounting to Php4.8 billion in 2006, of which Php2.4 
billion were consolidated into ePLDT from July 2006 
onwards, upon the completion of ePLDT’s acquisition 
of SPi. The combined revenues of ePLDT Ventus and 
SPi, of approximately Php5.0 billion, account for 79% 
of the ePLDT’s total service revenues.

ePLDT is now in a strong position to contribute to the 
growth of the outsourcing industry in the country. It can 
offer both voice and non-voice services to international 
clients depending on their requirements. Through its 
international  operations,  it  has  access  to  important 
markets such as the United States. 

“We are in a position to help the outsourcing industry 
in the Philippines attain its full potential,” said Ray C. 
Espinosa, ePLDT President and CEO. 

13

To establish its presence in this sector of the market, 
ePLDT  acquired  100%  of  SPi  in  July  2006.  With 
its  nearly  30  years  of  BPO  experience,  and  6,900 
specialists  worldwide,  SPi  is  ranked  fourth  in  the 
world’s  Top  10  BPO  companies.  Aside  from  the 
Philippines,  it  has  operations  in  the  United  States, 
India  and  Vietnam.  Its  services  include  publishing 
(such  as  content  conversion,  composition,  editorial 
and  delivery),  medical 
legal 
documentation.

transcription  and 

SPi  is  itself  on  an  acquisition  mode.  In  2006,  it 
purchased CyMed, Inc. (CyMed), a leading provider of 
medical transcription services to more than 400 clients 
across the United States.  Today, SPi is considered as 
the third largest medical transcription services provider 
in the U.S. market.

In  April  2007,  SPi  also  acquired  Springfield  Service 
Corp.,  the  10th  largest  player  in  the  medical  billing 
and revenue cycle management market in the United 
States.

By  acquiring  SPi  through  ePLDT,  PLDT  has  in  one 
move fortified its position as one of the world’s leading 
BPO services providers. 

A World Leader

In  outsourcing,  the  Philippines  is  a  world  leader, 
ranked  third  behind  India  and  China.  The  country  is 
a  preferred  location  for  outsourcing  because  of  its 
pool of low-cost yet English- and IT-proficient workers, 
especially  those  with  medical,  business,  accounting, 
HRM and engineering backgrounds. 

Offshore call centers currently account for the bulk of 
the outsourcing business in terms of jobs and revenues. 
Major global companies such as AIG, AOL, Citigroup, 
Dell, Hewlett Packard, IBM, HSBC, JP Morgan Chase 
have put up their own call centers in the Philippines 
to  handle  their  internal  requirements.  Leading  BPO 
vendors such as Accenture, Convergys and Unisys have 
also set up shop here to service their U.S. clients.

PLDT  has  become  a  leading  call  center  operator 
through  ePLDT  Ventus,  a  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of 
ePLDT which is the ICT arm of PLDT.  As of end-2006, 

OvERSEAS FILIPINO wORkERS

Serving the global
PINOY

As a project accountant for an international engineering and construction management 
firm in Abu Dhabi, Jorge Tabilin, a Filipino working overseas, faces a tough grind everyday. 

Tabilin puts in ten hours of work daily, resting only on Fridays, so he can send money back 
home to feed and clothe his family, get his three growing boys through school, and, hopefully, 
still have some money left for his retirement.

Remitting funds back home has always been a chore for Tabilin given his hectic schedule, 
and rather expensive, too. But soon, like other Filipinos working overseas, he will find it as 
easy as tapping out a text message on his cell phone. This will be made possible by the next 
generation of cellular phone-based remittance services Smart is poised to roll out.

Next Generation Remittances

In early 2007, Smart introduced its Smart Services Hub at the 3GSM World Conference in 
Barcelona.  This  new  mobile  commerce  platform  will  enable  Filipinos  in  the  Middle  East, 
Europe and elsewhere to remit funds using their cell phones. Employing an innovative mix 
of advanced mobile commerce technologies and a collaborative business model, Smart will 
accomplish  this  through  partnerships  with  cell  phone  operators  and  commercial  banks  in 
countries hosting large Filipino communities. 

14

Using  the  cell  phone  service  of  a  telco  that  has 
partnered  with  Smart,  Filipinos  overseas  can  draw 
funds from their deposit account in a partner bank in 
their host country and send these monies to a deposit 
account of their family in a Philippine bank or to their 
Smart  Money  account.    It  is  as  easy  as  following  a 
simple  menu  embedded  in  his  cell  phone  SIM.  The 
transaction takes place at the speed of a text message, 
after which both sender and recipient will receive an 
SMS confirming the remittance.

With this service, Filipinos will be able to send home 
funds whenever they want, in the amounts they wish, 
as frequently as they require at a cost markedly lower 
than traditional remittance methods.

The Smart Services Hub applies the lessons learned by 
Smart since it introduced in 2004 Smart Padala, the 
world’s  first  SMS-based  remittance  service.  Through 
this  service,    Filipinos  abroad  can  send  money  via 
remittance  companies  that  utilize  the  Smart  Money 
platform to transfer funds directly to the cell phones of 
their beneficiaries.  The beneficiary can then withdraw 
the  cash  via  ATMs  of  partner  banks  or  Smart  Money 
centers in the Philippines.

Smart’s continuing innovation in the area of remittances 
highlights the growing importance that the PLDT Group 
attaches to addressing the needs of the huge overseas 
Filipino community.

There are millions of Filipinos like Jorge Tabilin spread 
around  the  world,  sacrificing  peace  of  mind  and,  at 
times,  even  their  own  safety  just  to  secure  a  better 
future  for  their  families.  And  the  ranks  of  “Global 
Pinoys” keep growing.

In  2006,  around  1.08  million  Filipinos  crossed  the 
seas to work as contract workers in over 190 countries 
and territories.  They joined other 8 million Filipinos 
– hailed as heroes for helping the local economy afloat 
– who remitted US$12.8  billion last year – exceeding 
government forecasts of US$10 – US$11 billion.

Responding  to  their  needs,  PLDT  has  initiated 
innovative programs and services offering increasingly 
more  affordable  and  convenient  communications 
services,  remittance  services  and,  more  recently,  
entrepreneurship opportunities.

Keeping Families in Touch 

The first task is to keep Filipinos abroad in touch with 
their families and loved ones back home affordably and 
conveniently.  As Tabilin recounts, of all the challenges 
that he faces daily, nothing compares to homesickness 
and boredom.  “I was weeping the first time I talked to 

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

my wife over the telephone after arriving in Saudi Arabia 
in the early 90s,” said Tabilin, who at 44, continues to 
bear the pain of being separated from his family.

addresses 

PLDT 
various 
this  need 
communication  platforms  ranging  from  landlines  to 
broadband Internet to cellular phones.

through 

The  PLDT  Budget  Card  and  the  Pwede!  Card,  for 
example,  have  made  international  calls  much  easier 
and  less  costly.  These  two  products  are  both  prepaid 
cards that can be used for international and local calls. 
A  reloadable  card,  the  Pwede!  Card  offers  an  added 
feature  that  can  be  used  for  accessing  the  Internet. 
With  either  card,  calling  overseas  can  be  done  using 
any  PLDT  landline.  With  this  development,  owning  a 
phone is no longer necessary to do all these.  

Using a PLDT Budget Card, calls abroad are also much 
more  affordable.  Calls  to  the  United  States,  Canada 
and Hong Kong cost only Php3 per minute; while calls 
made  to  China,  Malaysia,  Singapore,  South  Korea 
and Taiwan cost only Php5 per minute. Calls to other 
destinations  are  pegged  at  Php8  pesos  per  minute.  
Aside form these, there are other special promos that 
offer even better rates.

PLDT  is  also  using  its  broadband  Internet  services 
to  provide  the  families  of  Filipinos  overseas  low-cost 
alternatives  for  communicating  with  their  relatives. 
For  instance,  PLDT  myDSL  offers  ID-DSL  and  Voice 
Pad services which allow DSL subscribers to use their 
broadband  connection  to  make  overseas  calls  using 
Voice  over  Internet  Protocol  (VoIP).  This  is  on  top  of 
other  services  such  as  chatting  and  e-mail  that  are 
widely available through various portals. The popularity 
of such services has helped power the growth of  PLDT’s 
broadband subscriber base.

15

Going Mobile

Given the immense popularity of cellular phones, large 
volumes of overseas calls flow through these devices.  
Smart offers innovative services that enhance the value 
of cell phones for overseas Filipinos and their families. 
One such service is International Voice Text which rides 
on  the  ubiquitous  usage  of  text  messaging.  For  the 
same price of an international SMS, a person located 
in the Philippines can send a 30-second voice message 
to relatives abroad.  If the receiving party does not have 
a  cell  phone,  the  voice  message  can  alternatively  be 
sent via SMS to the recepient’s e-mail address. This is 
called the VoiceTXT to e-mail.

These  voice  text  services  combine  the  emotional 
impact of the human voice with the convenience and 
affordability of text messaging. Because SMS is quite 
affordable, many Filipinos abroad frequently exchange 
text messages with their families at home. With voice 
text services, the sense of connection is even stronger. 
Imagine the difference between a text message saying 
“Happy  Birthday!”  and  a  voice  message  containing 
the  voices  of  your  entire  family  sending  their  warm 
greetings.

Nurturing Entrepreneurship

To complement its innovations in remittance services, 
the  PLDT  Group  is  participating  in  various  programs 
aimed at helping overseas Filipinos and their families 
make smarter use of their monies being sent back to 
the country.

In  2006,  Smart  launched  a  program  encouraging 
Filipinos  working  abroad  to  set  up  small  businesses 
at  home.  The  company  jumpstarted  this  program  by 
cooperating  with  a  Philippine  government  campaign 
promoting entrepreneurship among Filipinos overseas.

In  a  business  forum  in  Taiwan  where  about  130,000 
Filipinos reside, officials of the labor department and 
Smart met for two days with Filipinos there to discuss 
investment opportunities in agribusiness, aquaculture, 
franchising, and telecom services. Smart in particular 
showed  how  returning  Filipinos  can  set  up  small 
businesses  by  selling  airtime  load  as  Smart  Load 
agents, setting up SmartBro Internet Cafés or serving 
as Smart Padala encashment centers.

The  entrepreneurship  program  is  part  of  a  general 
campaign of Smart dubbed “Smart Pinoy.” Under this 
umbrella, Smart has gathered its services and programs 
that  address  the  various  needs  of  overseas  Filipinos. 
These include Smart IDD, international text and MMS, 
International  Roaming  Service,  Smart  Padala  and 
Smart Load.  It’s the Smart way of serving the Global 
Pinoy. 

16

ENTREPRENEURShIP

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

Building businesses for

                  mICRO 

ENTREPRENEuRS

RJ Villena was only 17 years old and an engineering sophomore at a state university in Metro 
Manila when he started his “business.” Armed with Php300 and a Nokia 3210 given by his 
father, he started selling Smart Load. 

Like  most  of  the  50,000  students  at  the  Polytechnic  University  of  the  Philippines  (PUP),  
RJ came from a family with humble means. Despite the subsidized tuition fee of Php500 per 
semester, it was still difficult to make ends meet. With his Smart Load business, he was able to 
support himself and help his parents financially. “I also had extra to buy clothes,” he added.

When she returned home after several years of working abroad, Elisa Sumaylo of Pasig City wanted 
to invest her savings in a small business. For a start, she set up a “mami” (noodle) stall.

Then she learned about PLDT myDSL’s ICafé Plus through which one can put up an Internet 
café  as  a  small  business.  She  started  out  with  five  PCs  and  now  has  12  units  for  rent.  Her 
Internet café sits side by side her “mami” stall, separated only by a sliding door.

Alternative Income

Both PLDT and Smart have not only made a difference in the way Filipinos communicate. Through 
its  various  packages  designed  for  micro-entrepreneurs—students,  OFW  families  and  aspiring 
entrepreneurs—PLDT and Smart are also offering Filipinos alternative sources of income.

17

These packages range in scale from micro-enterprise to 
small business to franchise medium-scale enterprise.

In the mountains of Cordillera…

The PLDT myDSL ICafé Plus, for example, addresses 
the needs of those who want to set up a small business. 
It  is  the  first  low-cost  Internet  café  franchise  in  the 
country. Packages start at a low of Php200,000 for a 
minimum of five desktop computers, which are already 
networked for online gaming and Internet surfing. The 
package includes a Microsoft OS, software and online 
games,  a  billing  system,  merchandising  materials, 
franchise training, after sales support and maintenance, 
as well as additional sources of revenue such as Smart 
Load and e-learning.

“Through PLDT myDSL ICafé Plus, many Filipinos may 
not need to seek jobs in other countries because they 
can  become  entrepreneurs  here,”  said  PLDT  Retail 
Business Group Head Menardo G. Jimenez, Jr. 

Smaller  in  scale  but  far  more  numerous  are  the 
micro-entrepreneurs selling Smart Load. Launched in 
May  2003,  Smart  Load  enables  prepaid  subscribers 
to  purchase  top  ups  electronically,  over-the-air,  in 
“sachets”  or  micro-denominations  of  Php30,  Php60, 
and  Php115.  The  retailers  use  special  SIMs  on  their 
cell phones to transfer loads to buyers.

There are currently over 800,000 Smart Load retailers 
nationwide.

Smart  has  complemented  the  Smart  Load  business 
package  with  its  own  Internet  café  package  using  its 
wireless broadband service, SmartBro. Compared to the 
PLDT myDSL version, the SmartBro offer is a smaller 
package consisting of one to three PCs. 

initiatives,  PLDT  and  Smart, 

in 
Through  these 
partnership  with  small  and  micro-  entrepreneurs,  are 
performing a vital service by providing more Filipinos, 
even those in remote towns and barangays, affordable 
Internet access.

18

Up north in Sagada, Mountain Province, a tourist haven 
on Cordillera mountain known for its remote caves, a 
10-year-old  roadside  carinderia  (eatery)  prominently 
displays Smart Load posters along with its delicacies. 
Its  owner,  Cordilleran  Harbeth  Dapuyan,  is  not  only 
famous for her native specialty pinikpikan, but also for 
her thriving Smart Load business.

Harbeth  recently  set  up  her  own  SmartBro  Computer 
Station.  A  greenhorn  in  the  use  of  Internet  and  the 
computer, she started learning from her sister and from 
customers  who  were  using  her  SmartBro  Computer 
Station.

… to the Bondoc Peninsula

The Bondoc Peninsula in Quezon province got its first 
taste  of  the  Internet  when  Smart  opened  a  mobile 
Internet  café  in  the  town  of  Catanauan.  A  third-class 
municipality  in  the  southernmost  part  of  Quezon 
province, the nearest Internet café in Catanuan is three 
hours away, in Lucena City.

Called Smart Click, the mobile Internet café is housed 
in  a  40-foot  air-conditioned  container  van,  equipped 
with 15 rentable computers. (It can also be installed in 
a small commercial space.)

Town  Mayor  Sebastian  Serrano  said  that  with  high-
speed Internet connection, they will be able to update 
the  town’s  website  more  often.  “I  hope  we  can  really 
develop our homepage and eventually make Catanauan 
known to more people all over the Philippines and the 
world.”

Smart Click serves as a one-stop digital shop in places 
with limited or no provisions for high-speed Internet and 
other related computer and desktop publishing services 
that include sending, printing and scanning of documents 
and  photos,  saving  documents  in  CDs,  among  others. 
Internet connectivity is provided via SmartBro.

Under  this  scheme,  entrepreneurs  in  the  provinces 
have an opportunity to set up a medium-sized business 
through  a  franchise.  Though  the  total  equipment 
costs can reach up to Php2.0 million, the intial outlay 
of  a  Smart  Click  franchise  holder  is  in  the  range  of 
Php200,000 to Php300,000 only.

Smart  started  the  roll  out  of  Smart  Click  branches 
in  April  2006  in  Ayala,  Zamboanga.  It  now  has  25 
branches  mostly  located  in  the  countryside  and 
operated by franchisees nationwide.

            -csrcorporate social responsibility

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

Enabling Communities

Whether  it  was  bringing  the  Internet  to  a  public  high  school  in  the  remote 
island of Bantayan, Cebu, or completing a Gawad Kalinga village in the former 
rebel enclave in Camp Abubakar, Maguindanao, PLDT, Smart and the PLDT-
Smart  Foundation  have  taken  the  innovative  path  in  “giving  back”  to  the 
communities that the Group serves.

Broadbanding Education

In 2006, Smart expanded its Smart Schools Program 
to  cover  100  public  high  schools  nationwide—from 
as  far  as  Basco,  Batanes,  in  the  north  to  Bongao, 
Tawi-Tawi  in  the  south.  Through  this  program,  Smart 
provides  broadband  Internet  connections  for  these 
schools and trains teachers on how to use computers 
and  the  Internet  as  learning  resources.  So  far,  over 
5,000 teachers have received basic computer literacy 
training.

Meantime,  PLDT  revved  up  its  Infoteach  Outreach 
Program,  which  gives  free  basic  computer  training 
to  students  and  teachers.  PLDT  partnered  with  the 
Asian College of Science and Technology (ACSAT) and 
ePLDT subsidiary, Digital Paradise, Inc., so that ACSAT 
instructors  could  hold  training  sessions  in  Netopia 
Internet Cafés near the participating schools. In 2006, 
814 students and teachers from 33 schools nationwide 
attended the free seminars. 

The  Smart  Wireless  Engineering  Education  Program 
(SWEEP), meanwhile, has set up wireless laboratories 
for electronics and communications engineering (ECE) 
students  in  40  colleges  and  universities  nationwide.  
Over  4,000  faculty  and  students  have  gone  through 
various  training  programs  of  SWEEP  since  its  launch 
in March 2003.

SWEEP also successfully staged its 2nd Innovation and 
Excellence  Awards  which  is  designed  to  encourage 
ECE students and faculty to come up with innovative 
wireless  applications  designed  to  assist  schools  and 
communities.

Complementing  this  is  PLDT’s  Innovation  Laboratory 
(Innolab) in Manila and Cebu, which provides students 
and  faculty  facilities  to  conduct  research  on  new 
communications technologies. Some universities such 
as the Ateneo de Manila have set up research programs 
that tap the technical resources of Innolab.   

19

 
The  PLDT-Smart  Foundation, 
the  MVP 
Academic  Excellence  Awards  and  PLDT  Foundation 
Employees Educational Grant, also granted scholarships 
to deserving children of rank and file and supervisory 
employees.

through 

It  is  currently  working  on  five  major  initiatives:  a 
program for juvenile delinquents; disaster management; 
microfinance  for  the  poor;  sports  development;  and 
Gabay  Guro  (Teacher  Guide),  a  technology  skills 
development  program  for  teachers  together  with  the 
PLDT Managers’ Club, Inc.

Enabling  Communities—from  Beneficiary  to 
Benefactor

PLDT,  Smart  and 
the  PLDT-Smart  Foundation 
continued to be active partners of the Gawad Kalinga 
(GK)  Foundation,  a  non-government  organization  with  
a  grand  vision—to  help  eradicate  poverty  in  the 
Philippines  by  building  700,000  homes  in  7,000 
communities in seven years or by 2010.

Since  the  partnership  started  in  2004,  PLDT,  Smart 
and  the  PLDT-Smart  Foundation  have  adopted  seven 
PLDT-Smart  Amazing  GK  Villages  nationwide,  each 
with 100 houses and a community center.

The  beneficiaries—mostly  farmers  and  fishermen  of 
Brgy. Banglos—were trained to become wood sculptors. 
Now organized as a cooperative, the Banglos Sculptors 
have staged several successful exhibits of their works—
fashioned from logs that destroyed their homes in the 
floods of December 2004. Over the past two years, they 
have sold well over Php1 million worth of artworks.

The Banglos Sculptors now regularly donate a portion of 
their sales to a village fund.  They have also contributed 
to  the  livelihood  programs  of  the  other  PLDT-Smart 
Amazing GK Villages such as the one in Bgy. Budlaan, 
Cebu City. The group has started to train residents in 
the art of woodcarving using driftwood. 

Residents  of  the  PLDT-Smart  Amazing  GK  Village  in 
Cebu, meanwhile, have learned how to make designer 
bags  using  strips  of  newspaper  weaved  together, 
painted  with  unique  designs  and  lively  colors.  The 
group who attended the training will then teach their 
fellow residents the skill they have acquired.

In  the  PLDT-Smart  Amazing  GK  Village-Iloilo,  the 
women  have  attended  dressmaking  lessons  while  the 
men have taken carpentry and electrical lessons at the 
Western  Visayas  College  of  Science  and  Technology, 
a  SWEEP  partner  school.  In  the  Baseco  Compound, 

Testing donated computers  
in Catmon.

Distributing free medicines in Cagayan.

Helping victims of  
typhoon Reming.                               

Providing basic necessities to 
typhoon victims in Bicol.

On top of funding the construction of GK villages, the 
Group has also mobilized volunteer employees to help 
build  homes.    Since  2004,  more  than  1,000  PLDT 
and  Smart  employees  in  Metro  Manila,  South  Luzon, 
Iloilo, and Cebu have worked alongside beneficiaries—
pouring  cement,  shoveling,  digging 
foundations, 
putting up hollow blocks, painting—in the PLDT-Smart 
Amazing GK Villages in Baseco, General Nakar, Cebu 
and Iloilo.

In  2006,  the  Group  devoted  more  efforts  to  helping 
GK  villages  develop  alternative  sources  of  livelihood. 
The  Smart  Amazing  GK  Village  in  General  Nakar,  for 
example,  has  been  cited  by  the  GK  Foundation  as  a 
model GK village chiefly because of its novel livelihood 
program.

residents  have  attended  urban  gardening  lessons. 
Cabinet-making lessons using palo tsina are also being 
planned.

Grassroots Entrepreneurship

In  2006,  PLDT  promoted  entrepreneurship  not  only 
through  its  community  service  programs  but  also 
through its regular sales efforts.

Both  PLDT  myDSL  and  SmartBro,  the  broadband 
services of PLDT and Smart, started to offer in 2006 
business  packages  that  provide  personal  computers 
and internet connectivity for setting up small Internet 
cafés. These packages were initially offered to existing 

20

 
PLDTANNUALREPORT2006
PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

dealers of Smart and PLDT products and services, who 
now number over 800,000 all over the country.

PLDT continued to conduct livelihood seminars through 
the  PLDT  Livelihood  Program-Parents  Teachers  and 
Community Association; Pangkabuhayang Likas, Dunong 
at  Talento;  Kaanak  at  Kaibigan  Kabuhayan  (KKK) 
Program and Smart Entrepreneurship Program (SEP).

PLDT’s  Pangkabuhayang  Likas,  Dunong  at  Talento, 
launched in 2005, provides a five-day training program 
on cellular phone repair, the Smart Load business, and 
basic  cosmetology.    The  KKK  Program,  meanwhile, 
gives  relatives  and  friends  of  PLDT  employees  the 
opportunity  to  earn  commissions  from  selling  PLDT’s 
products and services. 

Launched  in  July  2004,  SEP  offers  free  seminars  on 
entrepreneurship  to  college  students  and  alumni  of 
universities and colleges nationwide. In 2006, it was 
reoriented to support the offering of SmartBro Internet 
Café packages.

Support in Times of Emergency

PLDT and Smart set up free call and Internet stations 
for residents, media organizations, and rescue agencies 

batingaws or warning bells made from recycled oxygen 
tanks  to  warn  residents  in  the  event  of  flashfloods, 
volcano eruptions or other calamities.

Smart  donated  over  200  batingaws  which  were 
installed in the municipalities of Real, General Nakar 
and  Infanta  in  Quezon  province;  the  towns  around 
Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon; and the provinces of Leyte, 
Surigao  del  Norte  and  Surigao  del  Sur.  These  were 
done  in  partnership  with  the  Philippine  Institute  of 
Volcanology  and  Seismology,  provincial  governments, 
and the Save the Children Foundation. 

Medical and Dental Missions

As  part  of  its  community  service  programs,  PLDT 
continued  to  conduct  medical  and  dental  missions 
in remote areas lacking medical and health facilities. 
In  2006,  such  missions  brought  doctors  to  seven 
barangays, benefiting more than 3,000 individuals. 

In 2006, PLDT Medical and Dental Mission teams were 
dispatched  to  Sta.  Ana,  Cagayan  province;  Bontoc, 
Mountain Province; Baguio City; and Benguet province 
in  north  Luzon;  Biñan  and  Cabuyao  towns  in  Laguna 
province  in  south  Luzon;  and  Catmon  Elementary 
School in Malabon, Metro Manila.

Tree planting in Gen. Nakar, Quezon.

Making works of art from driftwood.

Earning a living through sculpture in  
Gen. Nakar, Quezon.

in the areas battered by typhoons Paeng, Milenyo and 
Reming.  After  a  mudslide  buried  one  barangay  in 
Guinsaugon,  Southern  Leyte,  Smart  set  up  a  Libreng 
Tawag  Station  at  the  municipal  hall  of  St.  Bernard, 
offering free calls and broadband Internet access. When 
Filipinos were repatriated from war-torn Lebanon, PLDT 
and Smart also set up free calling stations at the offices 
of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

Aside  from  disaster  response  activities,  the  PLDT 
Group  was  also  involved  in  disaster  preparedness 
programs  in  partnership  with  government  and  private 
agencies.  Smart  set  up  emergency  warning  systems 
in several calamity-prone municipalities in 2006. The 
community-based  early  warning  systems  combined 
radios and cellular phones with traditional tools such as 

Employees  also  raised  funds  for  cervical  cancer 
patients,  typhoon  victims,  children  with  harelip,  old 
people  in  nursing  homes,  persons  with  disabilities, 
street children, among others. In several cases, PLDT 
and Smart matched the employees’ donations.

PLDT and Smart continued their involvement in various 
tree planting projects. Trees were planted on the slopes 
of  Mt.  Pagturao  in  Bontoc,  Mountain  Province  in  the 
north,  the  banks  of  Marikina  River  and  the  La  Mesa 
watershed  in  Metro  Manila,  and  Mt.  Abong-Abong 
Park  in  Zamboanga  in  the  south  –  with  over  11,000 
seedlings and 31,000 propagules planted in 20 sites. 

21

 
cgcorporate governance

Take the lead.

Guide others.

Earn trust.

Set the standard.

Corporate Governance: A Way of Life

In 2006, significant progress was made in establishing good corporate 
governance policies and practices in the PLDT Group. 

Commitment to Good Corporate Governance

It starts              

withme. The  Chairman  of 

the 
Board  proclaimed  it,  and  every  employee  now  repeats 
the same line. Good corporate governance in PLDT goes 
beyond  slogans  and  certification  reports.  It  is  a  way  of 
corporate life to be embedded in all business processes.

Such commitment started with the Board itself. To show 
its dedication to corporate governance and its faithfulness 
to  its  fiduciary,  legal  and  ethical  duties,  the  following 
amendments to the Board structure were accomplished:

•  The post of Chairman was separated from the President/

CEO.

•  The  Board  Committees  on  Audit,  Executive 
Compensation,  Governance  and  Nomination  (GNC), 
Finance, and Advisory were created. Corollary to this 
was the adoption of respective Committee Charters for 
Audit, Executive Compensation, GNC and Finance. 
•  The number of Independent Directors was increased to 
more than the minimum number required by Philippine 
regulators.

These early initiatives were richly advanced in 2006.

Board Self-Assessment of Performance

In the early part of the year, the Board approved an annual 
performance  evaluation  process  to  determine  whether  it, 
its committees and its members are functioning effectively. 
Each member of the Board underwent the process of a Board/
Directors’ Self Assessment Questionnaire Accomplishment. 
The  recommendations,  which  included  the  creation  and 
operation of an IT Strategy/Technology Committee, are to 
be carried out in the 2007 work program.

Adoption of Corporate Governance Policies

Similarly, in the first months of 2006, the Board approved 
the adoption of supplementary corporate governance policies 

22

in  addition  to  the  fundamental  corporate  governance  rules 
implemented in preceding years such as the PLDT Manual 
on Corporate Governance1, Code of Business Conduct  and 
Ethics2, and Conflict of Interest Policy.  

The Company now observes the following:

•  Policy  on  Gifts,  Entertainment  and  Sponsored  Travel 

– approved on January 31, 2006.

•  Supplier/Contractor  Relations  Policy  –  approved  on 

January 31, 2006.

•  Administrative  Order  on  the  Handling  of  Employee 
Disclosures and Complaints Regarding Violations of the 
Corporate Governance Rules, Questionable Accounting or 
Auditing Matters, and Offenses covered by the Company’s 
Table  of  Penalties  (Expanded  Whistleblowing  Policy) 
– approved on May 9, 2006.

In addition, the structures and rules on Officer Discipline 
were created by virtue of an Administrative Order on May 
9, 2006.

Compliance and Regulation

Due to its ownership structure and its simultaneous listing 
in  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  (NYSE),  the  Company 
is  governed  by  several  corporate  governance  regulations 
including that of the Philippine Securities and Exchange 
Commission  (PSEC)/Philippine  Stock  Exchange  (PSE) 
and the New York Stock Exchange.

Philippine Code of Corporate Governance. In the Philippines, 
the  Company  submitted  the  Annual  Evaluation  by  the 
President/CEO,  Treasurer  and  Chief  Financial  Officer 
and  SVP-Chief  Governance  Officer  of  the  Company’s 
compliance  with  the  Manual  on  Corporate  Governance 
(for 2005), and the Certification by the Chief Governance 
Officer  to  the  PSEC  and  PSE  on  January  27  and  30, 
2006, respectively.

1	

2	

This can be viewed at	http://www.pldt.com.ph/download/pldt-
corpgov_manual.pdf	or	http://www.pldt.com.ph/cgov/downloads/pldt-
corpgov_manual.pdf.
This can be viewed at	http://www.pldt.com.ph/download/pldt-
code_ethics.pdf	or	http://www.pldt.com.ph/cgov/downloads/
Code%20of%20Ethics(BD_APPRVD)-03.30.04.pdf.

 
         
Upon conducting the aforementioned Annual Evaluation 
for  2006,  the  Certification  by  the  Chief  Governance 
Officer of the Company’s compliance with the Manual on 
Corporate Governance was filed with the PSEC and PSE 
on January 24 and 26, 2007, respectively.

U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).  The Company has an ongoing 
Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance Project. Under this Project, 
the following has been accomplished in 2006:

Development  and  implementation  of  the  Corporate 
Governance  (CG)  Communication  Plan,  which  aimed  to 
inform  all  employees  on  the  CG  rules  and  policies,  and 
enable their deepened understanding of such through the 
following:

•  Company-wide  orientation  training  was  conducted;
•  Corporate  governance  content  on  the  corporate 
website  and  intranet  has  been  made  available 
and  accessible  through  the  corporate  governance  
sub-site: www.pldt.com.ph/cgov; 

•  CG  Posters  for  2006  carried  the  theme  “Tread  the 
Right  Path  (Tahakin)”  featuring  the  four  CG  principles: 
Accountability, Integrity, Fairness and Transparency; and 
•  The CG e-newsletter, “Ripples,” has been distributed 
monthly  through  e-mail  broadcast  since  August.  All 
issues are also available on the website. 

Accomplishment  of  the  Management’s  Self-Assessment 
and  Sub-Certification  as  support  to  the  annual  internal 
control report that must be certified by the CEO and CFO 
starting 2006.

Installation  and  operation  of  the  Expanded  Whistle 
Blowing  (EWB)  Hotline  and  other  reporting  facilities, 
such  as  dedicated  electronic  mail  box,  post  office  box, 
and facsimile transmission.

Hongkong  Stock  Exchange  (HKEx).  First  Pacific  Company 
Limited  (FPC)  is  listed  under  the  HKEx.  The  Company, 
being a material affiliate of FPC also complies with HK 
governance requirements. In 2006, the evaluation of the 
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control and risk 
management  system  was  done  and  reported  to  FPC  in 
compliance with HKEx requirements.

Moving Beyond Compliance

Adoption of CG among significant PLDT Subsidiaries.
PLDT  Subsidiaries  Smart,  ePLDT  and  PLDT  Global 
Corporation  have  each  adopted  their  Code  of  Business 
Conduct  and  Ethics,  and  CG  rules,  and  appointed  their 
respective Corporate Governance Officers. Details of Related 
Party Transactions within the PLDT Group are contained in 
the Financial Report section.

in 

Membership 
the  Ethics  and  Compliance  Officer 
Association (ECOA). PLDT is the first Philippine company 
to be a member of the largest international association of 
corporate ethics and compliance officers. The Company’s 
Chief Governance Officer has been elected as one of the 
Directors  of  the  Association,  with  his  term  starting  in 
2007.

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006
PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

  Enterprise Risk Management

Our  group-wide  enterprise  risk  management  framework, 
which  became  effective  on  April  1,  2006,  has  enhanced 
our  existing  risk  management  approach  by  establishing  an 
Enterprise  Risk  Management  Committee  (ERMC).    Under 
the framework, risks are identified, measured and responded 
to in a manner consistent with the best interests of the PLDT 
Group.    The  degree  of  response  to  risks  shall  be  based  on 
the likelihood of occurrence and the potential financial and 
operational  impact  as  compared  to  the  cost  and  potential 
consequences  of  the  planned  response.    Every  company  or 
unit and every officer and executive are responsible for the 
identification  and  management  of  risks  pertaining  to  their 
respective areas of responsibility.

The ERMC acts as the monitoring body for the individual risk 
management activities of the different units within the PLDT 
Group.  As the strategic body responsible for developing and 
managing  a  comprehensive  integrated  risk  management  
plan,  the  ERMC  has  the  responsibility  of  responding  to 
externally  imposed  regulatory  guidelines  concerning  risk 
identification, disclosure, management, and monitoring.  The 
ERMC is also mandated to advise the appropriate authorities 
of the PLDT Group on risk concerns pertaining to any of the 
companies within the PLDT Group.

In  2006,  the  ERMC  conducted  its  annual  internal  and 
external risk assessment and validation activity involving the 
business and support units within the PLDT Group. Major 
risk  concerns  and  appropriate  mitigating  measures  were 
accordingly presented to the Executive Committee and to the 
Audit Committee, and eventually to the PLDT Board during 
the annual budget presentation.

Towards Embedding

The  CG  framework  of  PLDT  involves  three  development 
phases: Compliance, Competency, and Character/Culture. 
Now that compliance structures and facilities are in place, 
the  Company  is  focused  on  building  competencies  and 
commitment among its personnel so that ethical values 
and  practices  become  embedded  and  ingrained  within 
the Company. The end-view is the emergence of a strong 
ethical corporate character distinctly PLDT.

For 2007, the battle cry of corporate governance in PLDT 
is “embedding.”  

The  CG  posters  that  are  being  periodically  released 
in  2007  take  on  ethical  leadership  as  a  theme  –  also 
annotating the movement from learning the CG principles 
in  2006  to  translating  these  into  action  by  2007. 
Approved by a series of focus group discussions with the 
executives and staff in 2006, the 2007 posters are also 
known as the “fish series” following an observed behavior 
of schools of fish. True to the words first pronounced by 
the Chairman, PLDT corporate governance starts with any 
personnel who by his own right can be the leader in doing 
business ethically and legally well.

23

 
 
theboard

OF DIRECTORS

ESPINOSA

DEE

KONO

PANGILINAN

NAZARENO

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of the Board
Napoleon L. Nazareno, President and CEO
Helen Y. Dee
Ray C. Espinosa
Tsuyoshi Kawashima
Tatsu Kono
Rev. Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J.*
Corazon S. de la Paz
Ma. Lourdes C. Rausa-Chan1
Oscar S. Reyes*
Albert F. Del Rosario
Pedro E. Roxas*
Alfred V. Ty*

1 Elected March 6, 2007
* Independent Director

KAWASHIMA

NEBRES

24

ROXAS

REYES

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

SANTOSO

BAGATSING

DE LA PAZ

RAUSA-CHAN

TY

YOUNG

ROMULO

Executive Compensation 
Committee
Albert F. del Rosario, Chairman
Oscar S. Reyes, Member
Pedro E. Roxas, Member
Alfred V. Ty, Member
Tsuyoshi Kawashima, Member
Victorico P. Vargas, Non-voting Member

ZARATE

Finance Committee
Corazon S. de la Paz, Chairman
Alfred V. Ty, Member
Amado S. Bagatsing, Member
Christopher H. Young, Member
Tsuyoshi Kawashima, Advisor
Tatsu Kono, Advisor 

DEL ROSARIO

Advisory Board/Committee
Amado S. Bagatsing
Roberto R. Romulo
Benny S. Santoso
Christopher H. Young
Ricardo R. Zarate

Audit Committee
Rev. Fr.  Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J., Chairman
Oscar S. Reyes, Member
Pedro E. Roxas, Member
Corazon S. de la Paz, Advisor
Roberto R. Romulo, Advisor
Tsuyoshi Kawashima, Advisor
Tatsu Kono, Advisor

Governance and Nomination 
Committee
Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman
Tatsu Kono, Member
Rev. Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J., Member
Oscar S. Reyes, Member
Alfred V. Ty, Member 
Rene G. Bañez, Non-voting Member
Victorico P. Vargas, Non-voting Member

25

officers

Napoleon L. Nazareno
President and CEO

Ernesto R. Alberto
Senior Vice President

René G. Bañez
Senior Vice President

Anabelle L. Chua
Senior Vice President

Jun R. Florencio
Senior Vice President

Menardo G. Jimenez Jr.
Senior Vice President

George N. Lim
Senior Vice President

Rosalie R. Montenegro
Senior Vice President

Alfredo S. Panlilio
Senior Vice President

Claro Carmelo P. Ramirez
Senior Vice President

Ma. Lourdes C. Rausa-Chan
Senior Vice President

Victorico P. Vargas
Senior Vice President

Alfredo B. Carrera
First Vice President

Celso T. Dimarucut
First Vice President

Cesar M. Enriquez
First Vice President

Richard N. Ferrer
First Vice President

Eriberto B. Gesalta
First Vice President

Ramon Alger P. Obias
First Vice President

Leo I. Posadas1
First Vice President

Nerissa S. Ramos
First Vice President

Raymond S. Relucio
First Vice President

Ramon B. Rivera, Jr.
First Vice President

Ricardo M. Sison
First Vice President

Emiliano R. Tanchico
First Vice President

Miguela F. Villanueva
First Vice President

Florentino D. Mabasa, Jr. 
First Vice President

Jose A. Apelo
Vice President

PLDT Senior Executives (from left): Eriberto B. Gesalta, Miguela F. Villanueva, Victorico P. Vargas, Florentino D. Mabasa, Jr., Christopher H. Young, 
Ma. Lourdes C. Rausa-Chan,  René G. Bañez, Anabelle L. Chua, Jun R. Florencio, George N. Lim, Nerissa S. Ramos, Ramon Alger P. Obias

Smart Executive Committee (from left): Rogelio V. Quevedo, Danilo J. Mojica, Don J. Rae, 
Anabelle L. Chua, Rolando G. Peña, Ramon S. Fernandez, Claro Carmelo P. Ramirez

26

Anna Isabel V. Bengzon
Vice President

Arnel S. Crisostomo
Vice President

Emeraldo L. Hernandez
Vice President

Joseph Nelson M. Ladaban
Vice President

Rebecca Jeanine R. De Guzman
Vice President

Ma. Luz Natividad A. Lim 
Vice President

Mario C. Encarnacion
Vice President

Alejandro C. Fabian
Vice President

June Cheryl C. Furigay
Vice President

Elisa B. Gesalta
Vice President

Ma. Josefina T. Gorres
Vice President 

Ma. Criselda B. Guhit
Vice President

Emmanuel B. Ocumen
Vice President

Oliver Carlos G. Odulio2
Vice President

Roberto G. Pador
Vice President

Lilibeth F. Pasa
Vice President

Enrique S. Pascual, Jr.
Vice President

Jose Lauro G. Pelayo
Vice President

PLDTANNUALREPORT2006

Gerardo C. Peña
Vice President

Ricardo C. Rodriguez
Vice President

Genaro C. Sanchez
Vice President

Ana Maria A. Sotto2
Vice President

Julieta S. Tañeca2
Vice President

Jesus M. Tañedo
Vice President

Jose Antonio T. Valdez
Vice President

Melissa V. Vergel De Dios2
Vice President

1 Promoted to First Vice President    
  effective March 6, 2007.
2 Promoted to Vice President    
  effective March 6, 2007.

PLDT Senior Executives (from left): Cesar M. Enriquez, Emiliano R. Tanchico, Raymond S. Relucio, Claro Carmelo P. Ramirez, Alfredo S. Panlilio, 
Ernesto R. Alberto, Richard N. Ferrer, Rosalie R. Montenegro, Menardo G. Jimenez, Jr., Ramon B. Rivera, Jr., Ricardo M. Sison, Alfredo B. Carrera  

ePLDT Executive Committee (from left): Celso T. Dimarucut,  George H. Tan, Helen T. Marquez,  
Ray C. Espinosa, Rosalie R. Montenegro, Ernest L. Cu

27

2006 PLDT

Group Significant Events

OPERATIONAL MILESTONES

FIXED LINE

in  setting  up  five  and  above  computers  for 
an Internet café, selling load and E-Review 
cards to help students review for courses like 
college entrance and nursing exams.

PLDT  WeRoam  introduces  a  prepaid  option 
and  bundled  laptops  (Lenovo,  HP,  Acer, 
among  others)  on  easy  payment  schemes 
in  partnership  with  PC  vendors  across  the 
country. With this WeRoam prepaid offering, 
more  and  more  enterprises  can  now  equip 
their  road  warriors  with  mobile  productivity 
tool without worrying about their budget.

PLDT  introduces  Shops.work  Unplugged 
(SWUP)  the  country’s  first  wireless  Virtual 
Private  Network 
for 
terminals, 
retailers’  Point-of-Sale 
banks’ ATM machines for back-up or remote 
connections, and merchants’ wireless swipe 
card terminals.

(VPN)  connection 
(POS) 

PLDT offers PLDT WeRoam Plus, which now 
offers higher speeds through the use of the 
unmatched  3G/HSDPA  coverage  of  Smart. 
With 3G/HSDPA base stations complementing 
PLDT  WeRoam’s  nationwide  GPRS/EDGE 
and WiFi network, laptop-carrying individuals 
may now enjoy broadband speeds to access 
their  private  LAN  or  the  Internet  in  more 
parts of the archipelago.

The  PLDT  Domestic  Fiber  Optic  Network 
(DFON)  Baguio  Loop  becomes  operational, 
providing  Baguio  City  its  first  fiber  optic 
cable  transport  connectivity.  The  DFON 
in  Baguio  has  a  capacity  of  10  gigabit  per 
second  of  transmission  bandwidth  that 
can  accommodate  120,960  simultaneous 
calls at any given time – more than enough 
to  support  the  city’s  increasing  demand 
for  higher-capacity  voice,  data,  and  video 
services.

PLDT launches its new world-class fiber optic 
network  called  the  PLDT  Next  Generation 
Network  (PLDT  NxGN).  With  this  new 
technology, PLDT NxGN subscribers can now 
enjoy  unprecedented  broadband  Internet 
speed  and  allow  for  faster  provisioning, 
installation and repairs of voice, wireless and 
data  networks.  PLDT  NxGN  also  paves  the 
way  for  future  services  such  as  Broadband 
TV  and  Internet  Protocol  Voice  Services, 
among others.

Pwede!  Card,  the  country’s  first  PIN-based 
reloadable  all-in-one  card  is  launched  to 
address  the  ever  changing  communication 
needs  of  Filipinos.  Pwede!  Card  can  do 
both  voice  (i.e.,  local  calls,  NDD,  IDD  and 
cellular) and data (dial-up Internet) from any 
PLDT or Smart access device, whether it be 
PLDT  postpaid  or  prepaid  landlines,  Smart 
or Talk ‘N Text cellular phones or PLDT and 
Smart payphones. 

PLDT  offers  PLDT  myDSL  Biz  Internet 
Café  Plus—the  first  low  cost  Internet  café 
franchise  solution  in  the  country,  selling 
for  only  Php35,000  per  PC.  It  specializes 

28

WIRELESS

Smart introduces Smart 3G/HSDPA to offer 
not only local and international video calling, 
but  also  content  that  includes  real-time 
video streaming of TV shows and downloads 
of  movie  trailers,  music  videos,  animé, 
vacation spots and real-time traffic videos in 
major thoroughfares in key cities.

Smart  Click  Internet  Café  and  more  is 
launched  in  Basco,  Batanes.  Smart  Click 
serves  as  a  neighborhood  one-stop  digital 
shop in places with limited or no provisions 
for  high-speed  Internet  and  other  related 
computer and desktop publishing services.

Smart  unveils  SmartBro,  the  new  brand 
for  Smart’s  wireless  broadband  offering, 
marking a move from its earlier Smart WiFi 
brand. The launch of SmartBro underscores 
the  strategy  of  the  PLDT  group  to  provide 
its  customers  with  the  widest  range  of 
broadband 
and 
establish  its  leadership  in  the  broadband 
market nationwide.

connectivity 

solutions 

ICT

ePLDT  completes  its  acquisition  of  SPi, 
a  leading  business  process  outsourcing 
company,  for  US$158.8  million  inclusive 
of  debt.  The  acquisition  is  considered  a 
strategic  move  that  will  place  the  PLDT 
Group  at  the  forefront  of  the  fast  growing 
BPO industry.

SPi  acquires  Cymed  for  US$35  million. 
Acquisition positions SPi as the third largest 
company  in  the  US  medical  transcription 
(MT)  industry.  CyMed  provides  MT  services 
for  more  than  400  healthcare  systems 
across  49  states  (all  but  Alaska)  and  has 
been  recognized  by  numerous 
industry 
and  community  associations  for  business 
operations and profitable growth.

ePLDT announces its majority acquisition of 
Level  Up!    (Philippines),  Inc.  (Level  Up!). 
This facilitates the merger of the two leading 
online game publishers in the country, Level 
Up!  and  netGames,  Inc.  thus  forging  the 
dominance of the Philippine online gaming 
market.

ePLDT Ventus Libertad commence commercial 
operations  in  Libertad,  Mandaluyong  City, 
thus,  bringing  total  call  center  site  count  to 
seven and total seat count to 5,600.

CORPORATE AFFAIRS

Total dividend payments for 2006 increased 
by  53%  to  Php18.8  billion  from  Php12.3 
billion in 2005.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

FinanceAsia, a leading finance magazine in 
Asia,  awards  PLDT  as  the  “Best-Managed 
Company”  in  the  country  for  the  third 
straight year. It also awarded PLDT for being 
the “Best in Investor Relations” for the fifth 
consecutive year.

Telecom Asia, a regional industry publication, 
recognizes  PLDT  as  the  Best  Emerging 
Market Carrier for the second straight year.

leading 

another 

Asiamoney, 
finance 
magazine,  ranks  PLDT  No.  1  among  Asian 
telecom  companies  based  on 
recently 
reported  figures  on  return  on  equity.  PLDT 
is  the  only  Filipino  company  in  the  list.  In 
the  same  issue,  PLDT  Chairman  Manuel 
V.  Pangilinan  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most powerful and influential people in the 
Asia  Pacific  for  the  year  2006.  Pangilinan 
ranked 86th.

Forbes  Asia,  the  regional  arm  of  Forbes 
magazine,  lists  PLDT  in  the  Forbes  Asia’s 
Fabulous 50, the magazine’s second annual 
list representing Asia-Pacific’s best publicly-
traded companies with revenues and market 
capitalization of at least US$5 billion. PLDT 
is the only Filipino company in the list.

an 

international 

finance 
Euromoney, 
magazine, cites PLDT as the “Best-Managed 
Company  in  Asia”  in  its  2006  polls.  PLDT 
topped a field of 223 major Asian companies 
nominated  by  49  financial  institutions  and 
analysts  worldwide.  Aside  from  that,  PLDT 
was  also  recognized  with  four  more  best-in 
category awards:  Best Fixed Line Company 
in  Asia,  Best  Cellular  Company  in  Asia, 
Most  Convincing  and  Coherent  Strategy  – 
Philippines,  and  Most  Transparent  Account 
in Asia.

The  Wall  Street  Journal  Asia,  a  respected 
regional  newspaper,  ranks  PLDT  No.  7  in 
the most admired list in its Asia 200 reader 
survey  of  companies  in  the  Philippines. 
PLDT was also top 5 for long-term vision and 
top 5 for innovation. The Asia 200 is a list of 
the 200 most admired companies in Asia.

Netopia  is  awarded  the  2005  Outstanding 
Filipino  Franchise  –  Service  Category  by 
Philippine  Franchise  Association 
and 
Department of Trade and Industry during the 
Franchise Excellence Awards.

Smart  Load  becomes  a  finalist  in  the 
the 
Stockholm  Challenge  2006  under 
Economic  Development 
in 
category 
Stockholm,  Sweden.  Smart  Load  was 
recognized  for  having  changed  the  way 
people  top  up,  from  the  conventional 
reload  cards  to  electronic,  over-the-air, 
and  for  giving  more  than  800,000  micro-
entrepreneurs  a  lucrative  business.  The 
Stockholm Challenge is a pioneer among ICT 
awards and networking organizations.

 
www.pldt.com