Sun Life builds green, sustainable community for metro’s informal settlers
P49M allocated for new community in Calauan,Laguna
When Canada-based insurance firm Sun Life
Financial began operations in the country in 1895, it occupied an office building along the Pasig River in Manila, then the center of transportation and commercial activity. From its humble beginnings along the banks of the Pasig River, the company prospered to become one of the most resilient life insurance firms in the country today. The company last year recorded a gross premium of P14 billion, besting all its competitors. Its net income last year was recorded at P3 billion.
Over the years, as wars were fought in Manila and economic activity expanded, the river gradually reflected the stress of the times. Since the 1990s, efforts to rehabilitate the river have been initiated, ranging from dredging to beautification. It continues to the present with the Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig inititive of network giant ABS-CBN through its ABS-CBN Foundation.
Now ABS- CBN foundation head Gina Lopez is determined to rehabilitate 48 esteros draining to the river within the next several years. Her problem has always been where to put the people who will be displaced by the rehabilitation. So when the rehabilitation for the Estero de Paco and Pandacan were due, Lopez turned to Sun Life for support and the insurer took the opportunity to give back to the community where it started. The Legacy of Light Village in Calauan, Laguna was then built.
“Sun Life has been in the country for more than 100 years. We are 117 years old. We have really been a partner in nation building. This is really our way of giving back to the country,” says Sun Life president and CEO Riza Mantaring.
“We were very attracted to this project when Gina presented it to us because it was not just relocating them or giving them a house but it is holistic. It is giving them livelihood and education. You are really taking care of the future and the hopes of the families and that is really aligned with our mission as a company,’’ Mantaring explains.
The village, which was started two years ago, occupies 110 hectares of land in Calauan, Laguna. The community contains 115 two-story housing units with a floor area of 30 square meters each.
At present, only around 100 families have settled in the village which has a capacity for 5,200 families.
Embedded rainwater harvesting systems support the irrigation for the community’s small agricultural activities that consists of growing vegetables and ornamental plants. To make the
community energy-efficient, lighting systems in common areas were fitted with solar panels.
The relocation site was developed in partnership with the National Housing Authority (NHA). It was designed to be a small but selfsustaining community.near the relocation site, there are three public elementary schools and one high school, a public market, a church and within the Legacy of Light Village is a children’s playground.
According to Mantaring, the company is spending more than one percent of the company’s net income to various projects as part of its commitment to good corporate citizenship.
For the Legacy of Light Village, Sun Life is allocating P49 million spread over five years to develop the community.
Sun Life Financial-Philipppines Foundation, the advocacy arm of Sun Life Financial in the Philippines, is engaged in a variety of CSR activities touching on environment protection, education, and financial literacy.
It recently pledged P15 million to the Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City for the creation of the Math Pocket, an interactive installation that is aimed at cultivating joy and interest in Math and Physics.
“Our projects vary in scope, and we treat each project as a long-term commitment,” says Sun Life Foundation executive director Veronica Estrella.
The common problem with relocation is providing relocatees with sources of income. Thus, relocatees in the village are given livelihood opportunities and trainings for eventual job placements.
Project manager Girlie Aragon said ABS-CBN Foundation formed a partnership with the Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for trainings in massage, manufacture of pickled preserves, growing of mushrooms and ornamental plants, and sewing.
The cooperative also makes bead accessories and denim handbags.
The BayaniJuan cooperative sells the produce such as salted eggs and fresh and pickled oyster mushrooms in a small stall in Rockwell and in a small market called Palengke ni Juan which was built specifically to provide a place for the settlers to sell their wares.
In the market, settlers pay a rent of P20 per day for a store space to the vendors association which uses the proceeds to pay for electricity and maintenance.
BayaniJuan president Mark Sierra said the oyster mushrooms which they sell fresh or dried at P50 per 125 gram bag is particularly popular. Women also make extra income for their families by making denim handbags.
Sun Life also sometimes sources its corporate giveaway requirements from the cooperative.
“We consider this as a model relocation community because they are provided with proper living facilities and livelihood opportunities,” says Aragon.
Sun Life Foundation also gives the relocatees training in financial literacy to enable them to manage their small businesses.
“A brighter world makes good business sense, because uplifting the lives of our fellow Filipinos also enriches our own,” says Mantaring.