170. Pioneering Connections: The Birth of PLDT and Global Connectivity

A historic photograph marking the establishment of PLDT features notable figures such as Governor General Henry L. Stimson, J.E. Stevenot representing PLDT, Col. Blanton Winship, the legal adviser to the Governor General, and Edgar Crossman, the legal assistant to the Governor General. Remarkably, the photo is personally signed by Governor General Henry Stimson. 

On November 28, 1928, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), the leading telecom provider in the country, was founded under Act 3436 by the Philippine Legislature, approved by then-American Governor-General Henry L. Stimson. This legislation merged four telephone companies under common U.S. ownership, granting PLDT a 50-year charter and the authority to establish telephone lines across the country within 40 years from the approval date. Remarkably, in just two years, by 1930, the Philippines was first connected to the world through radiotelephone services to the United States and other global destinations.