MANILA, Philippines (Aug 2026) — Thousands of provincial entrepreneurs and farmers across the country are finally breaking away from traditional word-of-mouth sales by learning how to market their products online.
For rice producer Queen G. Anino from Santa Cruz, Laguna, learning digital skills is the vital next step to expand her business, Cabisera Rice. She explained that the training arrived at the perfect time as they begin building their social media presence, helping them transition into active farmer-entrepreneurs who can market their own products.
Ditching word-of-mouth for digital tools
Anino is just one of the 1,279 MSMEs, agripreneurs, and tourism workers across 21 communities nationwide who participated in digital learning sessions during the first half of the year. The workshops focused on digital entrepreneurship, content creation, online marketing, and cybersecurity awareness.
Local leaders see this as a necessary shift. Maria Charisma Bea Agarao, executive assistant to the mayor of Santa Cruz, noted that local governments want farmers, fisherfolk, and small business owners to keep up with changing digital trends to boost their sales.
The workshops also helped participants level up their product presentation. Angelica Martinez from the Rural Improvement Club Kalinga Center shared how mobile phones allowed their group to move past basic word-of-mouth marketing by presenting products more effectively. In Los Baños, Laguna, Rafael J. Jumawid of the local Municipal Cooperative Development Council observed how a smartphone photography class completely changed how members promote their goods.
Protecting and scaling businesses online
Even tourism operators joined the shift, with sessions helping them use short-form video reels for marketing while learning how to spot online travel scams targeting local destinations.
The digital push is part of the #KonektedForLivelihoods program by PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. John Eric Alviz, vice president and head of SME growth marketing, digital and trade at PLDT Enterprise, said that helping small businesses succeed requires more than just providing technology; it requires teaching the skills to use those tools effectively.
Stephanie V. Orlino, assistant vice president and head of stakeholder engagement at PLDT and Smart, added that these practical skills become highly meaningful when Pinoy communities can immediately use them to protect and grow their livelihoods online.
For more on this story, check out our coverage on PLDT and Smart community programs.
