Filipinos who want to learn online but are looking for more economical options can enroll in DITO CME’s online courses endeavor Luna Academy, according to the parent company of DITO Telecommunity.
The 10-month-old education website, which was launched in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, claims to be the local counterpart of Coursera, with the majority of certificate courses focusing on technology.
“For the Philippines, we’re establishing a Coursera. It’s mostly for the purpose of training… They, like developers, need to upskill; yet, during the pandemic, they are unable to attend school. As a result, we saw an opening and were able to assist others. It’s all online now, Ngayon “Donald Lim, DCME’s chief operating officer, said ABS-CBN News.
Luna Academy currently offers over 400 courses, with 60 percent of them being technology courses from companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, and Alibaba, according to Lim.
He also mentioned that there are other online courses available in leadership, HR management, and culinary arts, among others.
Despite the fact that their partners are industry leaders, Lim claims that their costs are substantially lower.
For example, a course on Coursera that costs P40,000 to P60,000 is only P15,000 to P20,000 on Luna, he noted.
According to Luna Academy, roughly 3,000 registered learners are currently enrolled in courses on the platform.
“Luna is a platform, so we try to keep it affordable. We don’t generate material; instead, we collaborate with schools, institutions, and industry actors to develop and certify content “Added he.
DITO CME Holdings, which is owned by Davao-based billionaire Dennis Uy, has a number of other companies, including Luna Academy.
DCME’s other investments are primarily on technology, whose acceptance accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic as Filipinos trapped at home turned to the internet for their daily necessities.
Even if the epidemic is addressed, digital adoption is expected to continue, according to DCME president Eric Alberto.
“I believe that the digital approach in which we engaged, which people have embraced, and the way organizations engage their consumers would not alter even if the epidemic wanes and we gain immunity and the pandemic goes,” Alberto added.
Aside from Luna Academy, DCME also runs Acuity Global, a sales, marketing, and advertising firm, as well as Unalytics, a big data analytics hub.
“We stated that our goal is to empower every Filipino’s digital lifestyle with the goal of connecting people, transforming legacy to digital, and making human transactions simpler, faster, and easier,” Lim added.
“That’s why we started with telco, education, media, and education, and eventually included e-commerce, as well as a data hub and data analytics as a backend product,” he explained.
The majority of the business, according to Alberto, is still handled by DITO Telecommunity, which tapped China Telecom for their expertise in the industry.
As it seeks more capital to invest in its major company, DITO Telecommunity, DCME recently set the final price of its stock rights offer to P4.88 per share.
Officials said the third telecom, which passed its second-year audit in 2021, is on the verge of surpassing the 5-million subscriber threshold by the end of the year.
The ultimate price of the stock rights offer has been established at P4.88 per share by DITO CME.
Dennis Uy, a Davao-based businessman, is the CEO of DCME, which is part of the Udenna Corp group.