FILINVEST GROUP
PHILIPPINE STAR: What has your group contributed toward nation-building?
Filinvest Development corp. president and ceo josephine gotianun-Yap: Through the years, we have positioned ourselves in industries and areas that contribute to and benefit from the country’s advancement, thoughtfully taking opportunities in growth areas only when the timing is right.
Whether it be housing for the affordable and middle-income and overseas Filipino workers, consumer loans for the mass affluent in a consumption-driven economy, offices for the estimated $24-billion strong business process outsourcing (BPO) industry or power for the revitalized and fast-growing Mindanao region, we have always sought the underserved and growing markets.
We strive for sustainable and inclusive development in the various communities where we operate.
Furthermore, two common themes among the various subsidiaries of Filinvest Development Corp. are education and care for the environment.
education
Andrew Gotianun Foundation, funded by our founder’s family, has topped off the Andrew L. Gotianun Center for Integrated Technologies, a technical-vocational track senior high school that aims to provide educational opportunities for the underprivileged in Visayas and Mindanao.
The P500-million grant includes board and lodging for 480 live-in scholars from the region.
The Filinvest City Foundation continues its yearly scholarship program for southern Metro Manila students now reaching 600 scholars annually.
Filinvest Development Corp. Utilities Inc. (FDCUI) has been supporting its host communities in Mindanao through developmental activities such as workshops and training sessions on various topics including entrepreneurship and disaster risk response.
It has also engaged the younger members of the community in educational activities such as supporting an interactive exhibit for a science fair in Villanueva as well as actively promoting and preparing potential scholars for the Andrew L. Gotianun Sr. Center for Integrated Technologies located in the Xavier University campus in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.
environment
To promote awareness of the environmental impact and provide environmental support for the various communities, FDCUI, Filinvest Land and the hotels participated in coastal cleanups in their respective sites while FLI continued its annual tree-planting activities.
For the annual clean-up, employees of FLI, FDCUI and the hotels helped to clean the shoreline in various locales.
Further, in late 2018, our hotel management joint venture, Chroma Hospitality Inc. launched an anti-plastic pollution program which aims to reduce plastic use in the hotels.
FDCUI also committed to support a mangrove rehabilitation program in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental by providing a one-year maintenance and monitoring fund.
In all, FDC remains committed to helping the communities it operates in while steadily growing as a major conglomerate in the Philippines.