PLDT Inc., the country’s largest integrated telecommunications group, announced Tuesday the “separation from service” of Senior Vice President Jeremiah de la Cruz, who had recently been appointed—on May 16—as senior adviser to the company’s Chief Operating Officer Menardo G. Jimenez.
The company has yet to provide a specific reason for de la Cruz’s departure.
De la Cruz, who joined PLDT in April 2022 as SVP and Consumer Business – Home Head, was responsible for steering the PLDT Home broadband arm. Upon transitioning into the advisory role, John Gregory Y. Palanca took over de la Cruz’s position, while maintaining his prior role leading sales and development.
Before his tenure at PLDT, de la Cruz led enterprise-wide digital transformation projects across Asia Pacific, including roles at Hoytz, Globe Telecom, PT XL Axiata, Optus, and Vodafone. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Management from the Australian Graduate School of Management.
In the same board meeting in May, where executive changes were approved, PLDT appointed Alvin S. Ilano as Vice President and Network Field & Facilities Management Head, effective July 1. Ilano brings a wealth of experience, having served in leadership roles at Smart Communications—including VP for transport and supporting facilities planning and engineering, network field services, and technical operations—as well as serving as Network Operations Director at Verizon Wireless between 2012 and 2015.
The leadership moves, including de la Cruz’s departure and Ilano’s promotion, reflect PLDT’s ongoing recalibration of its upper management as it refocuses on its core broadband and network infrastructure businesses.
