PLDT unit expands digital services for Pinoys abroad

PLDT, Inc. on Wednesday said its international retail arm is expanding its digital services through a one-stop shop platform that offers online shopping and e-gift vouchers to Filipinos overseas.

“This is another way for us at PLDT Global and TINBO (Tindahan ni Bossing) to engage with our Filipino communities overseas by providing them with more options to care for their loved ones back home,” President and Chief Executive Officer Albert V. Villa-Real said in a statement.

Overseas Filipino workers can now buy Lazada and Shopee e-gift vouchers for their families in the Philippines via TINBO. They can buy and send Lazada or Shopee vouchers to their loved ones as gifts — a convenient and more practical alternative than the traditional balikbayan boxes, PLDT said.

“Plus, the e-gift vouchers allow their family members or recipients the opportunity to buy the items that they like from the online shopping apps,” it added.

Powered by PLDT Global, TINBO is a marketplace that allows Filipinos around the world to buy load, send food vouchers, e-gifts, healthcare PINs from mWell, and even gaming PINs for their families in the Philippines.

They can buy a Smart virtual number through TINBO, letting them receive one-time passwords from their e-wallets and e-banks in the Philippines like Maya.

TINBO also gives overseas Filipinos access to a convenient and secured online bill payment platform for their Philippine utilities and other digital services while outside the Philippines.

PLDT’s share price lost 0.24% or P3 to P1,272 each at the close of trading in Manila.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. —