PLDT retains second place in global child rights benchmark

PLDT Inc. retained its position as the second highest-ranked telecommunications company globally in the 2026 Children’s Rights and Business Benchmark by the Global Child Forum, marking its third consecutive year in the position. The listed telecommunications provider scored 9.9 out of 10 in the assessment, which evaluates how companies address children’s rights based on publicly available information, PLDT said in a statement on Sunday. The benchmark, developed in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, assesses corporate policies and disclosures concerning children’s rights across workplace, marketplace, community, and environmental operations. Global Child Forum said its scores do not measure actual compliance with corporate policies or the outcomes of programs. PLDT Chairman and President and Chief Executive Officer Manuel V. Pangilinan said the ranking reflects the company’s efforts to incorporate children’s rights into its operations. “Our consistent global leadership in children’s rights highlights the dedication of our people in embedding children’s rights into our daily operations. PLDT and Smart continue to recognize children as key stakeholders in building a digital society and thus strive to conduct our business in a manner that respects and safeguards the rights of every child,” he said. PLDT said the ranking reflects the efforts of the company and its wireless subsidiary, Smart Communications, Inc., to incorporate the Children’s Rights and Business Principles developed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children, and the United Nations Global Compact into their operations. The telecommunications group said it had updated its child safeguarding policies following consultations and impact assessments involving Filipino teenagers. The policies cover employee welfare, product safety, artificial intelligence (AI), supplier due diligence, and environmental management. PLDT and Smart also reported blocking more than 2.4 million uniform resource locators (URLs) linked to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children between June 2021 and August 2026 through their network-level child protection platform. The group said its Governance, Nomination, and Sustainability Committee oversees policies and performance concerning children’s rights at the board level. In its 2025 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures, PLDT and Smart reported a parental leave return-to-work rate exceeding 99% and zero reported cases of child labor in their workplaces and supply chains. The group also reported receiving no substantiated complaints involving product safety, marketing, and labeling during the year. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group. — Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales