Converge backs Women in Cebu Media in push for women empowerment, child online protection

Leading fiber broadband and technology provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has reaffirmed its commitment to women's empowerment and child online safety during the annual Cebu Press Freedom Week forum of STET Women in Cebu Media. This year’s STET Media Scope Forum put a critical spotlight on "Journalism Without Harm," emphasizing survivor-centered reporting on the sexual abuse of women and children.

The partnership underscores Converge’s holistic approach to technological social responsibility (TSR)—the corporate philosophy of embedding ethics, safety, and social good directly into its technology and digital infrastructure. By backing STET, an organization composed of active and retired women journalists in Cebu, Converge continues to champion professional development, media advocacy, and gender equality in the Visayas region.

A 'Symphony of Protection'

During the forum, Converge VP and Head of Corporate Communications and Public Relations Jay-Anne Encarnado highlighted the urgent need for cross-sector collaboration to combat online child exploitation and support survivors.

“While the internet opens doors to progress, it also has a dark and predatory corner. Today, the threat of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) is rising at an alarming rate,” Encarnado said during her address. “For us at Converge, this reality is a call to action. We believe that technology is only truly meaningful when it is used to protect the most vulnerable and uplift lives. That is why we have integrated child online safeguarding into the very DNA of our operations.”

Encarnado stressed that while technology providers can secure digital pipelines, safeguarding human networks requires the active vigilance of the press and civil society.

“We at Converge realize that we are just one piece of this ecosystem. We can secure our digital networks, but we need you to safeguard the human networks. This is a symphony of protection,” she noted.

As part of its network-level defense strategy, Converge has deployed state-of-the-art cyber-security measures to proactively prevent access to illicit and abusive content. In 2025 alone, Converge successfully denied nearly 12 billion entry requests to illicit websites hosting harmful, abusive content, while blacklisting over 72,000 domains linked to prohibited content.

This massive infrastructure-level intervention represents one of the most aggressive corporate digital safety campaigns in the Philippine telecommunications sector, securing millions of Filipino homes from cyber threats and illegal exploitation.

Project PIGLET: Championing youth digital literacy

To complement its digital defenses, Converge is actively investing in education through its flagship advocacy program, Project PIGLET (Privacy Integration through Guided Learning of Emerging Technologies).

Spearheaded by the company's Corporate Governance and Data Privacy Group, Project PIGLET is an award-winning interactive campaign designed to teach school-age children and their parents about digital literacy, safe internet habits, and data privacy. Recently recognized by the National Privacy Commission with the Kabataang Digital Award, the program has already been rolled out to schools across Metro Manila, Pampanga, Mindoro, and Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, with plans to expand its storytelling-based curriculum nationwide.

A corporate culture anchored in women empowerment

Converge’s multi-year sponsorship of the STET Media Scope Forum is reflective of its broader corporate identity. Led and inspired by Co-Founder and President Maria Grace Uy—a prominent female leader in the male-dominated ICT sector—Converge has consistently championed gender equality, women's rights, and professional growth for women.

This year, Converge also elected former Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe as its first female Chairperson of the Board. 

From launching internal leadership initiatives like the MentorSHE Project—a woman-to-woman executive mentorship program—to supporting grass-roots livelihood campaigns for female artisans at social enterprise KREations, Converge actively fosters an ecosystem where women can lead and drive positive social change.

The forum was attended by active Cebu media practitioners, civil society representatives, and aspiring student journalists from various Cebuano universities. Through this engagement, Converge and STET successfully created a collaborative space for the next generation of storytellers to learn the principles of ethical, survivor-sensitive, and responsible journalism.