Eastern Communications Brings Its Business-Grade Internet and ICT Tools to General Santos City

Empowering the Tuna Capital of the Philippines

Eastern Communications, the Philippines’ pioneering telecommunications and ICT solutions provider, further expands its footprint in Southern Mindanao with the official launch of its services in General Santos City. The milestone was celebrated through its signature Via Eastern event held at the Grand Summit Hotel on August 12, 2025, marking a new chapter of growth for the country’s “Tuna Capital” and most populous city in the Soccsksargen region.

“This partnership opens new doors for our businesses, government, and communities, allowing us to connect better, work smarter, and innovate faster. We look forward to collaborating with Eastern Communications in building a more inclusive, progressive and future-ready GenSan,” said General Santos City Councilor Michael Pacquiao.

General Santos or GenSan is poised for rapid development, ranking 15th nationwide and 3rd among highly urbanized cities in Mindanao in the 2024 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI). CMCI is an annual assessment by the National Competitiveness Council and USAID that measures economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resiliency, and innovation. The larger Soccsksargen region was also ranked as the 10th in Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth among 18 regions in the Philippines, signaling strong potential for digital and economic advancement.

General Santos or GenSan is poised for rapid development, ranking 15th nationwide and 3rd among highly urbanized cities in Mindanao in the 2024 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI). CMCI is an annual assessment by the National Competitiveness Council and USAID that measures economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resiliency, and innovation. The larger Soccsksargen region was also ranked as the 10th in Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth among 18 regions in the Philippines, signaling strong potential for digital and economic advancement.

Bridging the Digital Divide in Southern Mindanao

General Santos City hosts six of the country’s seven tuna canneries, employing over 200,000 individuals and serving as a key driver of the Philippines’ fishery exports. To support this thriving industrial hub, the government-led Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) has initiated the rehabilitation of the General Santos Fish Port Complex, further strengthening the city’s vital contribution to the industry.

Eastern Communications’ arrival in the city aims to support this progress by enabling the digital transformation of businesses with cutting-edge connectivity and ICT services. These digital tools have the potential to transform the way Mindanao’s MSMEs serve their communities and drive inclusive progress. However, this potential can only be realized if the necessary infrastructure is in place.

According to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), a major hurdle remains: many areas in Mindanao still lack sufficient internet access. While research recorded that over 50 million Filipinos nationwide are online, the numbers are significantly lower when it comes to Mindanao. This means that expanding internet infrastructure will be the foundation for any meaningful digital transformation in the region. Without it, progress will remain out of reach.

The entry of new telco players like Eastern Communications gives hope for better quality of connectivity in the long run. Eastern will now provide GenSan-based enterprises with advanced digital solutions, including business-grade connectivity through Eastern Fiber 1 and Internet Direct Service (IDS) to support local retailers, manufacturing industries, emerging IT-BPM ventures, tourism and agricultural sectors, in boosting productivity and global competitiveness.

In agriculture, Eastern’s enterprise-grade internet is critical to support agritech applications such as cloud-based platforms, agricultural robotics, and automated machinery, helping farmers monitor crops, predict weather, and grow more successful harvests.

Meanwhile, for GenSan’s canning companies and smart manufacturing, business-grade internet is vital for canneries who want to meet international standards and expand to global markets. Reliable, high-speed connectivity enables real-time inventory tracking, smart aquaculture operations, seamless coordination across production lines, and efficient logistics and export operations such as blockchain-based traceability systems.

Backed by its recent network infrastructure expansion, the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN), Eastern Communications continues to build digital resilience and drive inclusive growth in the country, one city at a time.To learn more about Eastern Communications’ dedicated internet, cloud, cybersecurity, and other ICT solutions, visit www.eastern.com.ph or contact 0919-081-7788 or 0917-300-7788.