PBSP Visayas Celebrates Its 31 Years in Uplifting People

31 years in uplifting people in the Visayas, the Philippines Business for Social Progress (PBSP) creates different developmental programs dedicated to reducing the poverty rate in the country.

Member companies and partners of PBSP attended the 31st Visayas Annual Membership Meeting with the theme “Greater Corporate Engagement and Relevance in the Visayas” on September 6, 2019, at the City Sports Club.

PBSP Visayas Executive Committee Chair Jose Antonio Aboitiz graced the event and thanked their members and partners for their support in their projects against poverty in the Visayas.

“I would like to recognize all the companies and partners who have worked with us in the past fiscal year. This is the time to celebrate the big and small triumphs we’ve made in our communities. We would not have achieved them without their valuable support and trust in our partnership. Truly, they have shown that we can accomplish a great deal of good if we work together towards a common goal. We hope they will continue to support us in our future endeavors as we continue to be united against poverty,” said Aboitiz.

Elvin Ivan Uy, Director for Operations of PBSP said in his message said that they are planning to create better and sustainable projects in the Visayas to better serve the people in the region.

“Today’s challenging times require a more relevant and responsive corporate engagement. We need to continue working together in co-creating sustainable solutions that do not only solve problems in the region but in the whole country, as well,” said Uy.

This year, PBSP introduced its “Toolbox Sessions” that aim to provide their partner companies with tools to help them with their CSR and development programs.

“Through the years, PSBP has witnessed the evolution of CSR and how it has evolved with the times. There were companies doing philanthropic giving or one-time donations to communities in need, others have implemented responsible business practices in their own workplaces. More companies have also started to make strategic investments with the aim of generating a bigger and more sustainable impact in communities or in areas of national interest. A growing number of businesses have also begun to embrace inclusive business — a new model of CSR which integrates the poor in the company’s core operations or value chain either as customers, partners, and employees,” said Uy.

The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Region VII Director Efren Carreon was invited to be the keynote speaker for this year’s annual meeting.

He talked about the rapid growth of the Visayas economy last year, which Visayas became the fourth largest contributor in the Philippine economy at 6.6% share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with a growth rate of 7.6%.

Carreon also mentioned about the government plans in battling poverty in the region and urges the private sector’s cooperation.

“In order to achieve this we need to effectively implement our plans, effective implementation of the plan means the collaboration of the government, the private sector, the civil society and including our development partners,” said Carreon.

One of PBSP’s flagship programs is the conservation of water and creating strategies in reducing water consumption in businesses.

Kathleen Almonte, PBSP Program Manager for Environment oriented the participants on the Water Demand Management to help educate companies on different ways to conserve water and introduce them to various strategies in helping them limit their companies water usage. (ASC)