SMX Mall of Asia, Pasay City
5 July 2012
President Benigno S. Aquino III invited the biggest and most successful companies in the country comprising the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) to reach out and empower more Filipinos thru convergence programs with the government and local communities that will lift people up from the mire of poverty.
The President served as guest of honor and keynote speaker in the opening day of the 11th LCF Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Expo with the theme “Transforming the Business of Giving Back.”
The two-day conference will hold various discussions on CSR and social entrepreneurship, Filipino cultural values, public-private partnership, volunteerism, philanthropy and global CSR trends. It also features an exhibition showcasing the development work of corporations, corporate foundations and other organizations.
President Aquino cited a concrete convergence program being undertaken by several government agencies with Nestle that seeks to address the problem of poverty and environmental degradation of poor families living in coastal communities. “We put these people under the Conditional Cash Transfer Program, and told them that in exchange for protecting the trees in their areas, the government will provide them with stipends for their daily expenses. Then, a company like Nestle comes in and gives these people specially researched, developed, and cultivated coffee seedlings, so they can plant and grow coffee under the shade of the larger trees they protect. Nestle also guides them, and equips them with the technological knowhow to maximize the yield of their crops. And eventually they are a ready buyer of the coffee produce,” the President stated.
Furthermore, he encouraged the LCF members and partners to embark on a CSR “spending war” and not just outspend each other in advertising and marketing. “Instead of treating government, labor, capital and consumers as separate stakeholders with diametrically opposed desires, we look at areas in which we can pursue mutual benefit. And what expos and conferences like today prove is that it is indeed very possible to do this,” President Aquino stressed.
The LCF is a network of over 70 operating and grant-making corporate foundations and corporations seeking to provide business solutions to social problems in the country through CSR. As it culminates its crystal year, LCF takes this year’s expo to new horizons, refocusing on social, environmental and economic responsibility within an ethical framework, while ensuring sufficient financial returns.
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