PLDT reinforces PH as next hyperscale hub in Southeast Asia at Telecoms World Asia

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



The PLDT Group bolsters its mission to help make the Philippines Southeast Asia’s next hyperscale hub. At the recent Telecoms World Asia conference held in Bangkok, Thailand, PLDT Enterprise’s Asia-Pacific Regional Head, Jeff Mendoza, emphasized the critical role played by PLDT in creating the digital infrastructure required by the country’s transformation into a regional hyperscale powerhouse.

At the conference, the premiere event on digital solutions and services for Asian Telcos, Mendoza discussed the emergence of holistic digital ecosystems in support of the Philippines’ fast-paced digitalization–particularly, the steps that the PLDT Group has taken in the last two years, cementing its lead in the industry and reinforcing its commitment to drive the country’s digital capabilities forward.

“Over the past few years, we have witnessed unprecedented digital adoption in the region, especially in the Philippines,” says Mendoza. “Google’s latest e-Conomy SEA report shows the Philippines as the frontrunner in Southeast Asia with its digital economy expected to be sustained at a CAGR of 20% through 2025.”

VITRO Sta. Rosa, the largest and most advanced hyperscale data center in the Philippines, is among PLDT’s notable investments in digital infrastructure, and adds to its current network of 10 data centers that host the country’s richest IP ecosystem.

The recently launched Jupiter Subsea Cable System, together with upcoming international cable systems ADC and Apricot, further deepen PLDT’s digital infrastructure investments.

Together, these form PLDT’s response to the rapidly growing requirements of the country’s thriving digital economy—driven by a young digital-savvy population and the strong propensity to use cloud across business sectors.

As PLDT continues to build world-class digital infrastructure to strengthen the Philippines’ position as the next hyperscale destination in Southeast Asia, it also continues its close collaboration with key government agencies, such as the Department of Trade and Industry, the Board of Investments, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, to enable the country’s digital ecosystem.

These government entities continue to support the digital thrust by enabling policies that promote cloud computing as the preferred technology for administration and delivery of government services, and laws that grant fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for high-value strategic investments such as digital infrastructure.

PLDT’s efforts to help drive the Philippines as the next hyperscale hub is guided by an even bigger mission to help build a sustainable future for Filipinos. PLDT remains dedicated to its efforts and initiatives that strongly support UNSDG No. 9: ‘Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation’.



For more information, visit https://pldtenterprise.com/.

First Philippine Parks Congress: Growing healthier, more liveable cities through urban parks

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The Philippine Parks Congress will have its inaugural staging on November 23 to 25, 2022.

Organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT), National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), Intramuros Administration (IA), Urban Land Institute Philippines (ULI) in partnership with the City of Manila, and City of Baguio. The 1st Philippine Parks Congress aims to gather public and private sector stakeholders involved in developing urban parks and green spaces across the Philippines to lay the foundation for creating a national framework for the development of Philippine urban parks.

"The pandemic highlighted the importance of parks and open spaces and it's apt that we are holding the first Parks Congress at the largest park in Metro Manila - Rizal Park, Luneta," said Cecille Lorenzana Romero, Executive Director of NPDC.

“With the pandemic pushing us to be more appreciative of open spaces, there could be no more perfect time than now to organize the first-ever Philippine Park Congress not just to promote sustainable development for our community, but also to attract tourists and enhance the tourism experience which is included in the 7-point agenda of DOT Secretary Cristina Frasco,” shared by Nayong Pilipino Foundation Executive Director Gertie Duran-Batocabe.

“The Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 highlights that cultural infrastructure and open spaces should be more inclusive to allow for dialogue and cultural exchange. Parks promote art, heritage, culture and other related domain of the Philippine creative industry, and we have seen activities like these help Intramuros recover during the pandemic. The first Philippine Parks Congress will allow us to learn about best practices to make our parks and open spaces more inclusive, “ Edgardo Baysic, OIC of IA noted.

MANILA PARKS STUDY TOUR. The event will kick off on November 23, 2022 with a guided tour around major parks and open spaces in the country’s capital – Paco Park, Rizal Park Luneta, Fort Santiago, ASEAN Garden, Baluarte de San Diego Gardens, Arroceros Forest Park, Mehan Garden, and Kartilya ng Katipunan.

MAIN PLENARY DAY. A series of talks and lectures by key people from both the public and the private sector will take place on the Main Plenary Day at the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium on November 24, 2022. Keynote Speaker, Jelle Hendrik Therry of Ramboll will open with a lecture on urban parks design from a global perspective and Paulo Alcazaren of PGAA Creative Design will provide a lecture on a history of urban parks in the Philippines. Other speakers will shed light on their respective organizations, agencies and companies by sharing their unique experiences, best practices and technical services in maintaining and operating public parks and open spaces.

Participants will also have a chance to take part in the discussion of the proposed National and Local Public Parks Authority (NALPA) bills currently being reviewed in Congress and in the Senate.

BAGUIO PARKS STUDY TOUR. With its new tourism campaign line, Breathe Baguio, the City of Baguio will share its rehabilitation projects and programs that breathed new life to its famous sites such as the Botanical Gardens, Mines View Park, Burnham Park, and Dominican Hill, a new art and cultural hub.

The inaugural Philippine Parks Congress is also a celebration and a recognition of the 60th Founding Anniversary of the National Parks Development Committee, 50th Founding Anniversary of Nayong Pilipino Foundation Inc., and 10th Founding Anniversary of Urban Land Institute Philippines.

Physical attendance is limited to participants who have been given email invitations.

The general public is invited to participate via Zoom or through Facebook Live. Certificates will be sent to those who have successfully attended via Zoom. Online participants may register here:

https://bit.ly/PPC_zoom

Secretariat: phparkscongress@gmail.com

Official website: bit.ly/1stPPC

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/parkscongressph/

Instagram: @parkscongressph

Xbox Releases First-Ever Transparency Report with Community Safety Practices

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Xbox recognizes the power of play and is committed to making play more fun by creating positive gaming experiences that are safe, inclusive and accessible for all players.

Xbox also knows online safety is a common concern for many Filipinos, many of whom will be spending more time gaming as the holidays approach – after all, we have the world’s longest holiday season!

To help ease some of these concerns, Xbox released its first Digital Transparency Report.

This report covers a range of important actions taken to moderate content, protect Pinoy players on the platform and foster a positive environment where every player from around the world is empowered to control what they see and experience through customizable settings and message filters.

Key takeaways that you may want to share with your audiences include:

Xbox is taking action to offer better experiences. The Xbox team issued more than 4.33M proactive enforcements against inauthentic accounts, representing 57% of the total enforcements in the reporting period. Inauthentic accounts are typically automated or bot-created accounts that can detract from positive player experiences. This proactive moderation, up 9x from the same period last year, allows Xbox to catch negative content and conduct before it reaches players. Xbox continues to invest and improve its tech so players can have safe, positive, and inviting experiences.

Players are stewards of the community. Xbox values all is players, especially its passionate Pinoys! Hence, player reporting is a critical component in Xbox’s safety approach. Alongside increased proactive safety measures, investments in scanning and filtering technologies, and education from the Xbox Ambassador community, reporting helps Xbox improve the work that it does to better protect players. Xbox’s players provided over 33M reports this period, with communications (46%) and conduct (43%) accounting for the majority of player concerns. Content moderation agents are on-staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to make sure the content and conduct found on the platform adheres to Xbox’s Community Standards.

Players are in control. Every player is different and preferences on content and experiences are not one-size-fits-all. Xbox offers many ways for players to customize settings, from message filters to parental controls, at any point in their Xbox experience. These settings allow players to manage the type of content they see and experience across all the ways they play, whether on PC, console, or anywhere with Xbox Cloud Gaming. It’s up to the players, friends, and family members to take control and implement the settings that are right for them.