CSR projects make up for poor Filipinos’ disadvantages
WITHOUT the th corporate social responsibility ( CSR) programs and activities of Philippine corporations, the Filipinos would be much poorer. Many who have less in life would be even more deprived of the good things that in more prosperous countries ordinary people enjoy as everyday parts of their lives.
Corporate social responsibility is also called corporate conscience and corporate citizenship.
Corporatre citizenship is the preferred term of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP).
Our History
Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Andrés Soriano III described PBSP as a “vehicle for collective corporate social response.”
PBSP was founded in December 1970 by 50 Filipino business leaders who pledged to set aside 1 percent of their companies’ net income before taxes to pursue poverty reduction programs. The concept was based on the Venezuelan Dividendo Voluntario para la Comunidad model of corporate social action. PBSP became a means by which the Philippines business community could rationalize and co-ordinate its funding and technical support to socio-economic projects and programs across the country.
In the 1980’s, PBSP focused its efforts on the poorest 15 provinces in the country where at least 40 percent of the families live below the poverty line. In these provinces, PBSP had had previous involvement and there were PBSP partner organizations that could support the organization achieve its mission.
In the 1990’s, PBSP redefined its strategy to focus on “impact areas”. We implemented the Area Resource Management (ARM) Program, the first PBSP program to consider environmental conservation as a goal and success indicator.
In the early 2000s, PBSP started workforce development as a core strategy. It asserted its role in Mindanao (specifically basic services such as health and education), and spearheaded the business sectors’ support of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In the last half decade, PBSP has seen an improvement in its beneficiaries in four key aspects: Education, Health, Sustainable Livelihood and Enterprise Development, and the Environment. PBSP officers say they were were able to empower PBSP’s assisted communities and increased their participation in development.
On its website,PBSP retains the article first posted on January 25, titled “Corporate citizenship and the way forward.” Here are excerpts from that article: The reduction of extreme poverty incidence in the country has remained and will always remain the heart of the matter. With this core issue in mind, the Philippine Business for Social Progress will define its unwavering commitment to reduce widespread poverty in the country by 2015 through four of the critical Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): education, health, sustainable livelihood and enterprise development, and the environment. Towards this end, PBSP has begun to realign its programs guided by the program descriptions as follows:
Education
Concretely, PBSP’s education agenda is centered on the MDG target of improving access to quality basic education. This year (2011), PBSP aims to strengthen public-private partnerships to build more classrooms, in order to enable schools to absorb more student enrolment and provide a more conducive learning environment. For the new fiscal year, PBSP will be at the forefront of an aggressive fundraising campaign to help address the classroom backlog problem identified by the Department of Education. In line with this, PBSP is already setting its sights on having at least 119 classrooms built, 108 classrooms and science labs repaired, and 5,710 desks and chairs provided.
PBSP, in partnership with its member companies also aims to provide more textbooks and other learning tools which include information technology systems and connectivity. Moreover, member companies and foreign donor partners will also work closely with PBSP to continue providing scholarship and educational assistance to at least 8,400 indigent students as well as feeding programs for at least 39,700 children to minimize absences caused by hunger and sicknesses linked to malnutrition. Not to be overlooked is the all important Teacher Training intervention. PBSP is set to have 5,040 teachers trained within this fiscal year.
All these packages of assistance or interventions are aimed at help- help ing students enrolled at the public elementary and secondary schools increase enrolment, decrease dropout rates, improve the quality of teaching and consequently upgrade their academic performance.
Health
On health, PBSP will support the national health agenda as well as an improved and decentralized health service delivery. It aims to improve people’s access and utilization to quality health services, increase demand for such services, and improve service delivery of health providers. Moreover, it aims to build the service delivery capacity of health providers for better access by vulnerable groups. Concretely, PBSP is spearheading a major-anti tuberculosis program funded by the Global Fund. A total of 4.37 million euros or about P2.5 billion have been earmarked to combat tuberculosis. PBSP has also set maternal health as a major agenda of its programs.
Sustainable livelihood and enterprise development
On livelihood and enterprise development, PBSP aims to further improve the performance of PBSP-supported grassroots-based enterprises. It will also work towards enhancing the enabling environment for sustainable livelihoods, especially among micro, small, and medium enterprise development.
The value chain approach will be the primary strategy of PBSP’s business development services. By linking small farmers and micro producers to the supply chain of more established business enterprises, PBSP hopes to establish a more inclusive economic growth.
At least 10 companies will be engaged to provide the small and micro producers increased access to the market, infrastructure support, input supply, technical assistance, technology and product development, and alternative financing mechanisms. With this program, it is estimated that at least 1,682 jobs will be generated and 15,000 people will be self-employed.
Environment
PBSP will be at the forefront of reducing the country’s carbon footprint through, among others, more sustainable business and production processes. PBSP aims to encourage businesses to practice sustainable production and consumption, as well as promote carbon footprint reduction and carbon sequestration, primarily in the reforestation of critical rainforests and watersheds.
PBSP shall also aggressively promote its Greening the Supply Chain, Environmental Management Systems for MSMEs, and the United Nations Global Compact among its member-companies. Complementing this with further carbon sequestration efforts, PBSP initially aims to reforest 373 hectares of critical watersheds and mangrove areas, and develop 12,558 hectares of upland areas into agro-forestry.
Moreover, PBSP also aims to develop environmental programs supporting joint publicprivate partnership efforts in disaster preparedness and reducing vulnerabilities of poor communities especially to floods and typhoons.
MDG secretariat
Integral to the implementation and even expansion of these planned programs will be PBSP’s role as the business sector’s secretariat for the MDGs. Given the enormous challenges in meeting the country’s MDG targets by 2015, it is imperative for the private sector to participate more aggressively in these efforts and, consequently, for PBSP programs and projects to be consistent with the country’s MDG initiative.
As MDG secretariat, PBSP must be able to harness and coordinate activities of the business sector with other stakeholders in pursuing the country’s millennium development agenda. The new goals of the PBSP secretariat include redefining the private sector’s MDG campaign structure, strengthening the secretariat to assist the private sector in ramping up its development performance, and setting a more focused campaign agenda and measurable targets to be aligned with the national government’s targets.”
(End of excerpts from PBSP article).
AMONG the PBSP members is the Bank of the Philippines Island (BPI).
It is a model to other companies for effective CSR programs. (See separate article “VisMin volunteer groups stand out as BPI Bayan projects.”
Says BPI about its BOI Bayan Volunteerism program:
“Spending many hours and sacrificing their weekends, the volunteer groups and communities who benefited from the unique mission just keep on growing. growing This year, year 32 groups have joined the BPI Bayan Volunteer Program out of their own choice. The groups come from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao giving their share of the pie to help our fellow Filipinos in any way they can in various communities.
“BPI Foundation’s Executive Director Randy Maranan was more than happy to see how the two-year old program has flourished and has inspired employees to be socially responsible to their communities. “Our people have their way of being creative to be able to give back… But the most important thing is the realization that this has given among our employees.” he said.
“For BPI President Aurelio Montinola, the BPI Bayan Program benefitted not only the communities but the volunteers themselves as it fosters teamwork, lasting professional and personal relationships and a sense of pride for working not only for profit but for the betterment of the community, and the nation as a whole.
“He also lauded the volunteers for being examples of compassion and generosity. “They say volunteers are paid in six figures – S-M-I-L-E-S… We salute you and we assure you that your work is never unsung. ” the president exclaimed.
“BPI’s Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala echoed ARM’s cheerful- cheerful ness on every team’s effort and on BPI Bayan’s success. He is glad on how the program has given the employees and their communities a sense of belongingness and trust far bigger than themselves. The support that every group has given to their volunteers sets as an example to all organizations across the industry.
“With just two years of continued devotion and commitment of the volunteers, the BPI Bayan program has already touched the lives and made a big difference in the beneficiary communities nationwide. This serves as the greatest reward any volunteer would want to receive.”
San Miguel Corporation
Another corporation that has been at the forefront of CSR since it began in the Philippines in San Miguel Corporation.
One of its activities in supporting the health of the environment and repairing environmental degradation is the recent planting of 45,000 trees in Borbon, northern Cebu.
San Miguel Brewery Communications Officer Romelinda Garces and Plant Manager Manuel Moreno turned over a large check to to PBSP Visayas Regional Office Manager Jessie Cubijano and Program Coordinator Malu Largo for the planting of 45,000 native and endemic tree seedlings. The seedlings will be utilised for the company’s reforestation efforts in Borbon, northern Cebu.
As one of PBSP’s original members, San Miguel Corporation in supporting handsomely all the organization’s thrusts in poverty reduction, education, health and sustainable development.
Chevron Corporation, which markets the Caltex brand of fuels and lubricants, is another corporation whose CSR programs have helped reduce poverty and improve the lives of disadvantaged Filipinos.
In the article “Caltex, Don Bosco Pugad unveil ‘Mobile Mechanic’ program” one is inspired to know how the Caltex “Dial-a-Mechanic project widens the livelihood opportunities of poor youths.”
Dubbed “Mobile Mechanic,” the program was created “in response to inquiries by our parishioners for auto mechanics who can do home services or emergency fix ups,” says Fr. David Buenaventura, SDB, director of the Pugad Foundation, a center for migrant youths located within the Don Bosco parish grounds in Makati City.