PLDT, VITRO provide digital backbone for historic BARMM polls

• PLDT is supporting efforts to help ensure the transparent and credible conduct of the first regular Parliamentary Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Sept. 14. As part of their preparations, the Commission on Elections led by its chair George Garcia (seated, 3rd from left), alongside other election stakeholders from iONE Resources and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), visited the VITRO data centers in Makati and Parañaque housing critical servers that will receive data directly transmitted by automated counting machines, like it had in the last midterm polls.

As voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) prepare for their first regular parliamentary elections, the digital infrastructure behind the polls will play a critical role in keeping election data moving securely and reliably.

PLDT Inc. and its data center arm VITRO are supporting the Sept. 14 BARMM Parliamentary Elections by providing connectivity and digital infrastructure for election-related operations.

In cooperation with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), PLDT will provide connectivity for election monitoring activities, while VITRO data centers will house critical servers that will receive data transmitted by automated counting machines.

PLDT said the arrangement builds on its longstanding work with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which began in 2016 and was further strengthened during the 2025 midterm elections.

The company will also provide connectivity for the PPCRV Command Center at AMA and distribute prepaid SIM cards to support coordination and election monitoring activities.

“Reliable connectivity and secure digital infrastructure play a crucial role in enabling transparent and credible elections. As the Bangsamoro Region prepares for this historic electoral exercise, PLDT is honored to support Comelec, PPCRV and other election stakeholders in helping strengthen public trust in the electoral process,” PLDT Chief Operating Officer Menardo G. Jimenez Jr. said.

VITRO, meanwhile, said its data centers are designed to keep critical systems available even during power interruptions and other disruptions.

Its facilities are equipped with layers of physical security, redundant generators and uninterruptible power supply systems. The data centers are also engineered to withstand earthquakes of up to Intensity 8 and are designed to deliver service-level agreements of up to 99.99 percent uptime.

“Serving the Filipino people means safeguarding the sanctity of every vote. Through VITRO’s secure and mission-critical data center infrastructure, we are committed to protecting the integrity of election data entrusted to us,” said Victor S. Genuino, president and CEO of ePLDT and VITRO REIT Inc.

Genuino said the company is again supporting Comelec and iONE through the BARMM polls as part of its continuing involvement in election technology infrastructure.

The Sept. 14 elections are considered a major milestone in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the region’s transition toward a parliamentary form of government.

Beyond election-related infrastructure, PLDT said it continues to support government efforts to expand digital access across the country.

These initiatives include the Bayanihan SIM Program, which provides free SIM cards with mobile data to people in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, as well as programs aimed at improving digital skills and introducing communities to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

PLDT and Smart were also recently recognized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology with the “Bayani sa Last Mile” award for their contributions to digital connectivity and countryside development.