COMMUNITY | Malacañang inaugurates OP 8888 SMS hotline partnership with PLDT, Smart

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The Office of the President (OP) recently formalized its partnership with PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart, in enabling the 8888 Citizens Complaint hotline number.

8888 SMS Hotline virtual ceremony

The Office of the President (OP) recently formalized its partnership with the Philippines’ largest telco PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart, in enabling the 8888 Citizens Complaint hotline number.

Through a virtual ceremony, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and PLDT and Smart officials expressed their confidence on the project that will aid the public and the government in resolving complaints and issues in their dealings with government agencies.

Executive Secretary Medialdea shares how “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has always said this vision of eradicating corruption in government and making public service more accessible to more Filipinos. These were the driving forces that led to the issuance of Executive Order 6 series 2016 institutionalizing the 8888 complaint hotline and establishing 8888 citizen complaint center which provided our people a convenient platform for raising up their requests and grievances to the government. This project would not have been achieved without the joint effort of the Office of the President and our telco providers. As such, let me take this moment to extend my sincerest gratitude to PLDT and Smart for their unending support and assistance in making the 8888 hotline success.”

Undersecretary Rico Bernabe also expressed satisfaction with the tie up with the delivery of the hotline emphasizing how “PLDT remains steadfast and assisted the needs of the OP in organizing and setting up the 8888 hotline. After more than two years of operations we can proudly say that we have successfully bridged the gap between the Filipino people and the government. Cooperation for the 8888 hotline has been seamless.”

PLDT and Smart have always supported the government in their efforts and programs to further boost delivery of public services through reliable connectivity and digital solutions.

“We fully support the government in its initiatives and efforts to improve public governance. Through this partnership, we signify our commitment to power the platform with our capabilities. I believe this is only one of the many initiatives of the government to improve the delivery of public services. We’d like to assure you that the PLDT is always here to serve and help you in whatever requirements you may need for such endeavor,” said PLDT Chief Revenue Officer and Smart President Al S. Panlilio.

The PLDT Group has spent over Php 260 billion over the last five years to further improve coverage and telco services to support the call of the president. Panlilio also highlighted how this year’s capex spend for expansion will be about the same level as last year of Php 73 billion despite the challenges brought by the pandemic.

“Our commitment next year is even a much higher investment on our capex, above Php 73 billion. Really to focus on expanding our fiber optic backbone and also our wireless coverage. We want to benchmark ourselves not with local competition as we are above average in terms of third party agencies in performance, but benchmark ourselves with our neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam,” he added.

The SMS Hotline was introduced to augment the government’s efforts in curbing corruption and cases of red tape among government agencies.

“We would like to thank the Office of the President for this privilege to work together in serving our fellow countrymen. It is our thrust at PLDT Enterprise to make a positive impact on every single business with our solutions and this goal also extends to government agencies and public entities. We express our commitment to help the government in every way we can so we can build a better future for Filipinos,” said Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President & CEO and SVP & Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups

“We consider this a privilege for PLDT-Smart to be part of this value chain to bring government services to the Filipino people. It is a role we are taking very seriously. As your technology partner, you can depend on the quality, resiliency and data privacy of the platforms and solutions we have deployed for this service,” MVP Group Managing Director, Government and Public Affairs Mike Toledo added.

The SMS service platform provides the public an alternative channel to post their complaints, grievances on acts of red tape, and corruption concerning any government agency. Smart, Sun and TNT subscribers can simply text the hotline free of charge.

“With the partnership between the two entities, PLDT and Smart will provide the Office of the President with the SMS platform and managed contact center solution for the hotline to support the government in attending to public’s complaints,” said PLDT FVP and Group Head of Corporate Communications Cathy Yap-Yang.

“Today, all Smart, Sun, and TNT subscribers can now reach the 8888 Complaint Hotline under the Office of the President via SMS free of charge – enabling the public to reach the government instantly,” added Yap-Yang.

For complaints, just text: C/Name (If you wish to be identified) /Concerned Government Agency/Complete details of the complaint. Then send to 8888.

To request assistance, just text: A/Complete Name/ Type of request (Financial, Livelihood, Housing, Employment, Educational, and Claims)/Concerned Government Agency/Complete details of the request. Then send to 8888.

Messages require a minimum of 200 characters to be processed. By sending messages, users agree that any information recorded will be used in future communications with 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center in accordance with the Data Privacy Act and with the Data Privacy Policy as indicated in the Op-proper.Gov.ph.

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by TechSabado.com editors
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