Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (Filipino: Kompanya ng Teleponong Pangmalayuan ng Pilipinas;PSE: TEL, NYSE: PHI), commonly known as PLDT, is the largest telecommunications company in the Philippines. The latest service revenues reported for the first quarter ended May 2015 is at ₱40.5 billion, and net income at ₱9.4 billion, equivalent to 1Q14.

History

PLDT was established on November 28, 1928, by the Philippine Government act. Philippine legislature and approved by then Governor-General Henry L. Stimson by means of a merger of four telephone companies under operation of the American telephone company GTE. Known as Act 3436, the bill granted PLDT a 50-year charter and the right to establish a Philippine telephone network linking major points nationwide. However, PLDT had to meet a 40-day deadline to start implementing the network, which would be implemented over a period of one to four years.

By the 1930s, PLDT had an expansive fixed-line network and for the first time linked the Philippines to the outside world via radiotelephone services, connecting the Philippines to the United States and other parts of the world.

Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T

The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T Twin-Pac is a turboshaft engine designed for helicopters. Manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada, its first application was in the Bell 212 and UH-1N Twin Huey helicopter family. The PT6T Twin-Pac consists of two PT6 power turbines driving a common output reduction gearbox, producing up to 2,000 hp at 6,000 rpm. The engine is designated T400 by the U.S. military.

Development

The U.S. military came very close to not procuring the UH-1N Twin Huey because of the PT6T. The purchase of the aircraft for U.S. military use was opposed by the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee at the time, Mendel Rivers. Rivers took this position because the PT6T was produced in Canada. The Canadian government had not supported U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and had opposed U.S. policies in southeast Asia, as well as accepting U.S. draft dodgers. Rivers was also concerned that procurement of the engines would result in a negative trade deficit situation with Canada. Congress only approved the purchase when it was assured that a U.S. source would be found for the PT6T engines. This source was Pratt & Whitney Engine Services in Bridgeport, West Virginia, which was established in 1971 to assemble and test new T400-WV-402 engines. As a result, the U.S. military ordered 294 Bell 212s under the designation UH-1N, with deliveries commencing in 1970.