Gov’t super app to improve business environment, says PLDT president

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PLDT Inc. said it supports the newlylaunched supper app of the Marcos administration as it will further improve the ease of doing business and digitalize all transactions in the local and national government.

“We echo the sentiments of President Marcos about maximizing use of the technologies available to us, with the eGovPH Super App expected to improve ease of doing business and interactions with the government,” PLDT president and chief executive Alfredo Panlilio said.

The eGovPH Super App aims to simplify all government transactions and minimize corruption and other abuses.

Filipinos will be able to access and avail of highly desirable government services such as valid personal identification in digital format, essential day-to-day core government services; e-tourism and e-travel services; e-payments and banking services; and even useful news and information about various subjects.

“This aligns with how we at PLDT are committed to evolving with our customers’ increasingly digital lifestyles and delivering innovation to achieve our ambition of a completely connected and future-ready Philippines,” Panlilio said.

Available on Google Play and Apple Store, the e-GovPH Super App is a one-stop-shop platform for local and national services, with transactions including SIM registration, LGU services, job application, healthcare assistance, e-payments and banking services, and more. Actualizing PLDT’s commitment to the government’s nationwide digitalization call, Panlilio is one of the founding members under the Digital Infrastructure Group of the Private Sector Advisory Council.

“Our PSAC seat permits us to provide regular policy recommendations to President Marcos, and we are grateful that he has been very engaging in initiatives specific to the nationwide expansion of internet connectivity and digitalization,” Panlilio said.

MORE Electric and Power Corp. said over the weekend its consumers in Iloilo City started to receive their bill deposit refunds.

MORE Power president and chief executive Roel Castro said the company was looking at a bill deposit refund of about P5 million this year. Castro said the company wanted to set an example for the rest of the distribution utilities. “This is very consistent with our customer focus activities. In fact. I was asking some DUs, why are you not returning? They said, well, the customers are not asking for it.

Again, that is where I can draw the line between the DU that is customer-focused. Because even if the customer does not ask for it, we go out of our way to inform the customers that this is due you and we will return it,” said Castro.

Tan said revenues from Megaworld’s shopping malls already recovered and grew past pre-pandemic levels.

Megaworld has 484,000 square meters of shopping mall space that could potentially be injected into MREIT.

“We are now seeing the strong rebound in retail, driving the strong performance of our sponsor lifestyle malls. With current sales exceeding pre pandemic levels and rental concessions fully removed as of the start of the year, this creates opportunity for MREIT to diversify into terms of asset class, increasing the pool of properties from which MREIT can source its growth,” Tan said.

MREIT is also bullish on office leasing as net office take-up turned positive in 2022 for the first time since the pandemic.

Tan said demand was expected to pick up and allow the market to fully recover in the coming years.

MREIT chief finance offer Englebert Teh said the company was also open to debt and share issuance to fund acquisitions.

MREIT announced plans last week to acquire seven office buildings from Megaworld with a total leasable space of 150,500 square meters. These office assets in Iloilo, Taguig and Davao generated P1.2 billion in rental income last year.

Once completed, MREIT will expand its portfolio to around 475,500 sq. m. and bring it closer to its target of 500,000 sq. m. of assets under management by end-2024.

The bill deposit is the deposit required from customers by distribution utilities of new and/or additional services equivalent to the estimated billing for one month to guarantee payment of bills.

Under the Magna Calta for Residential Electricity consumers, the bill deposit should be refunded within one month from the termination of service provided all bills were paid. A customer who has paid his electric bills on or before its due date for three consecutive years may demand for a full refund of the deposit even prior to the termination of his service. Alena Mae S. Flores