Socially responsible milestones

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) was unheard of until the 1990s, when it used to be an initiative of marketing departments in a few private companies involving the mobilization of volunteers or collection of money for charitable projects.

CSR has since evolved into such practices as good governance, corporate citizenship and responsible business. It has also been referred to as “corporate conscience” and the business model for Asia’s next miracle economies like the Philippines.

In the 21st century, more and more entities are jumping into the CSR bandwagon, although some of these initiatives were short-lived. But over the past 10 years, there are several foundations, corporations, and professional organizations that have been able to sustain their CSR practices and are observing their milestones this year.

TARLAC’S BELENISMO FESTIVAL

Strategically located at the heart of Central Luzon, the province of Tarlac is a melting pot of Ilocanos, Kapampangan, and Tagalogs. It has 17 municipalities and a city that serves as the provincial capital, Tarlac City.

Since 2007, the entire province observes the Belenismo Festival from November to January. Every night, bright and colorful displays of the Christmas tableau – known among Filipinos as the “belen” – light up the streets of Tarlac City and surrounding municipalities in the province’s three districts.

Spearheaded by the Tarlac Heritage Foundation ( THF), the Belenismo Festival draws participants from residential communities, local government units, educational institutions, parish churches, civic organizations, national and regional agencies that try to outdo each other in crafting different variations of the belen’s nativity scene, named after Bethlehem town in the Holy Land where Jesus Christ was born.

The finest of these tableaux join the annual Belenismo, a province-wide search for the best belen in various categories. The festival could have been on its 10th edition if not for a year when a devastating typhoon caused its cancelation. Nevertheless, Tarlac has been declared by the Department of Tourism as the “Belen Capital of the Philippines” due to the efforts of the THF. Kudos to its founder Dona Isabel Cojuangco and THF President Dr. Isa C. Suntay for sustaining this project showcasing the best of Tarlaqueno culture.

A DECADE OF THE CFO

Dutch banking giant ING’s Manila branch and the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines ( FINEX) conceptualized a yearly search for the country’s most outstanding chief financial officer ( CFO) in 2006 and began giving out awards in 2007.

Now the longest-running search for the best corporate financial stewards of the Philippines, the ING FINEX CFO of the Year Award marks its 10th year with the theme, “A Decade of the CFO: Championing Good Governance.”

Previous winners were Delfin Gonzalez of Globe Telecom, Sherisa Nuesa of Manila Water, Jose Sio of SM Investments, Ysmael Baesa of Jollibee Foods, Jaime Ysmael of Ayala Land, Jeffrey Lim of SM Prime, Felipe Yalong of GMA News, Jerome Pascual of Shell Exploration, and Luis Oreta of Manila Water.

This year’s winner will be announced on Nov. 22 at the FINEX annual general meeting in Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

10TH BRIGHT LEAF AWARDS

“Bright leaf” is the moniker of the Virginia tobacco leaf because it turns into a bright shade of yellow when cured with intense heat. It is also the name given to an annual competition of agricultural journalists in the Philippines.

An annual CSR project of PMFTC, Inc., the Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards is