In line with its disaster response advocacy, BDO Foundation found ways to extend assistance to thousands of underserved Filipinos affected by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated parts of Northern Luzon.
The foundation mounted relief operations in areas hit hardest by the tremors including the municipalities of Bangued, Dolores and Tayum in the province of Abra as well as Candon City and the towns of Caoayan and Santa in Ilocos Sur. It mobilized volunteers to visit evacuation sites and distribute relief packs containing food, rice and drinking water to 7,600 affected families in 26 barangays.
The initiative was made possible by volunteers from partner parishes, barangay officials and representatives of local disaster risk reduction and social welfare agencies. Philippine Army, Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection personnel provided security and logistical support. Officers of BDO and BDO Network Bank branches helped identify communities in need.
The relief efforts in Abra and Ilocos Sur were the latest conducted by BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank. The foundation also provided cleaning kits for 1,100 families in Banaue, Ifugao to help the community clean up dirt and debris scattered by the southwest monsoon. In Davao City, it distributed food packs to 300 families displaced by a fire incident.
As a follow through to its relief operations, BDO Foundation implements long-term rehabilitation and rebuilding programs in disaster-affected provinces.
Public school students and teachers in Benguet, Lanao del Sur, Negros Oriental, Palawan and Quezon stand to benefit from the donation of laptops.
In support of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) efforts to give more learners and educators access to computers, BDO Foundation and Huawei Philippines have partnered to provide laptops donated by Huawei to five DepEd schools divisions all over the country.
The partners recently turned over laptops to schools in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur in a ceremony led by Huawei Philippines and BDO Foundation officers.
Accepted by DepEd Marawi City schools division superintendent Anna Zenaida Unte-Alonto, the computers were distributed to Banggolo Elementary School, Madaya Lilod Elementary School, Mambuay Elementary School, Mamintal Disomangcop Central Elementary School, Marawi City Elementary School, Marinaut I Elementary School and Marinaut II Elementary School.
A few weeks earlier, Huawei and BDO Foundation also turned over laptops to schools in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. The event was witnessed by DepEd Dumaguete City schools division superintendent Dr. Gregorio Cyrus Elejorde, Huawei Philippines public affairs manager Chahol Liang, BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito and the heads of BDO branches in the city.
The brand-new computers were distributed to Amador Dagudag Memorial Elementary School, Calindagan Elementary School, Cantil-e Elementary School, Hermenegilda F. Gloria Memorial High School, Junob National High School and West City Science Elementary School.
Aside from Dumaguete and Marawi, the corporate citizenship initiative also includes Benguet, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan and Tayabas City in Quezon. The donation forms part of an agreement DepEd and BDO Foundation signed with Huawei, the global leader in information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices.
Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) continues to support smallholder farmers by providing them access to technologically advanced farming techniques for more sustainable agriculture.
“Improving smallholder farmers’ knowledge and capacity for greater productivity and profit will redound to the continued growth of our agricultural sector,” said Gisela Tiongson, JGF Executive Director.
Launched in 2008, JGF’s Farmers Entrepreneurship Program (FEP) empowers and helps smallholder farmers sharpen their technical and business acumen, as well as partnership-building skills. Today, these farmers supply the vegetable requirements used in some Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Mang Inasal favorites.
“By becoming more adept and qualified to participate directly in the value chains of food companies, small producers get assured of a regular market, resulting in their increased and steady income,” Tiongson added. To reinforce support to smallholder farmers, JGF has adopted public-private partnerships to help farmers gain access to agricultural technologies that increase their yield, reduce farming costs, and make them more competitive in the market.
Weather data, farmer efficiency Since 2020, the Foundation has partnered with IBM’s The Weather Company for a more accurate community-level, 7-day weather forecast. JGF also worked with the Central Luzon State University to interpret the weather data and translate it into the prescribed farm practice for the day. The information is then shared in a private messaging group for faster dissemination among the farmers. The SMS feature of this system is now being developed for easier access.
The Onion and Vegetable Producers Cooperative (OVEPCO) farmers from Barangay Tabulac in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija were among the first to benefit from this system. Through the barangay-level forecasts provided, the farmers can adapt and better decide when to plant, fertilize, and harvest their crops.
“It has been helpful. Now we can prepare for what will happen tomorrow. It has become a guide for our daily farming,” shared Eddie Soriano, OVEPCO Chairman.
This project currently supports 116 farmers in 12 barangays in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija and Alcala, Pangasinan.
Healthy soil, healthy production In partnership with the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soils and Water Management, JGF ventured into studying soil samples and providing practical recommendations to make the soil healthier and more viable for greater yield.
To help farmers improve their crops, JGF worked with the PUM Netherlands Senior Experts, various seed companies, and Jollibee Group’s own Research and Development team to find appropriate onion and bell pepper varieties that will meet the company’s requirement, and which can be more easily produced by the farmers.
Together with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, JGF is also looking into further increasing the productivity of onion farms. Called “Project SAYA” or Strengthening Agricultural Yield of Allium Cepa L. (Onion) in the Philippines, the project aims to help increase onion production by addressing inefficiencies, gaps, and factors affecting the level of production; as well as to identify potential and suitable areas for expansion.
“These agri-technology efforts are creating a ripple effect of empowerment and opportunities among our partner farming communities and institutions. They have reported greater knowledge on farming techniques, increased yield and income, and the confidence to transact with market players,” said Tiongson. “JGF will sustain these efforts so that farmer entrepreneurs can continue to gain greater pride in their profession and to reap the benefits of sustainable agriculture.”
Since 2019, the PUM Netherlands Senior Experts have guided farmers in soil testing and given them advice on soil health. They have also been assisting in varietal trials to test for better crop varieties, and introduce mechanization to improve productivity.
Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI), Security Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, equipped 17 public schools in Central Luzon with portable media libraries and keychain microscopes to expand learning opportunities of students in the area.
SBFI turned over the educational resources on July 12 during a ceremony at Angeles City National High School in Pampanga. The 17 public schools received one portable media library which is an external hard drive containing over 1,500 Knowledge Channel developed video lessons, e-games, and e-session guides aligned with the Department of Education K-12 curriculum.
Three of the 17 public schools, which are national high schools, received an additional 244 keychain microscope sets called Makeroscopes, invented by Filipino engineer Jeremy De Leon. The tool is attached to a mobile device front camera to enable the viewing of microscopic samples up to x265 zoom. Each set also comes with sample slides of animal and plant cells.
“Learning resources play a vital role in the improvement of the quality of education in the region. Many studies show that those who have better resources often perform better. We thank Security Bank Foundation for recognizing this need and helping Region III address these gaps through their generous donation,’ says Dr. May Eclar, Department of Education Region III Director who led the acceptance of the donated educational resources by SBFI.
The recipient schools were beneficiary schools of SBFI’s Build a School, Build a Nation Program, the foundation’s flagship program which aims to improve the quality of basic education in the Philippines through building of classrooms in communities where Security Bank has presence while supplementing the infrastructure donation with major repair support, training for teachers and principals, and other learner support interventions.
The schools that received portable media libraries were; Angeles City National High School (Angeles, Pampanga), Banga High School (Plaridel, Bulacan), Bataan National High School (Balanga, Bataan), Calulut Integrated School (San Fernando, Pampanga), Calvario Elementary School (Meycauayan, Bulacan), Cong. Erasmo R. Cruz Memorial Central School (Bocaue, Bulacan), Gordon Heights I Elementary School (Olongapo, Zambales), Guyong Elementary School (Sta. Maria, Bulacan), Josefa V. Ycasiano Memorial School (Baliuag, Bulacan), Malhacan Integrated School (Meycauayan, Bulacan), Olongapo City National High School (Olongapo, Zambales), Sabang Elementary School (Baliuag, Bulacan), San Jose Elementary School (Tarlac City), San Juan Bautista Elementary School (Tarlac City), San Vicente Elementary School (Cabiao, Nueva Ecija), Sta. Rita Elementary School (Cabiao, Nueva Ecija), and Tikay Elementary School (Malolos, Bulacan). The schools that received the keychain microscopes were Angeles City National High School, Bataan National High School, and Olongapo City National High School.
When the pandemic broke out in 2020, learners were left at home, teachers were forced to adapt to distance learning, as the world waited for face-to-face classes to resume. For schools in remote areas such as Busuanga Island in Palawan, or Bantayan, Cebu, access to hygiene facilities is among the necessities that will ensure pupils are protected against communicable diseases when they return to school.
With this, Vivant Foundation saw the need to help public school teachers and learners in far-flung communities adapt to the new normal. This includes supporting DepEd’s learning continuity plan amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in schools. With this, Vivant Foundation partnered with Manila Water Foundation to support the Department of Education’s WASH in Schools (WinS) program through the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) WinS: Lingap Eskwela sa Pandemya.
Through the partnership with Vivant Foundation, 10 schools in Palawan, Cebu, and La Union were provided with 10-faucet pedal-operated hygiene facilities benefiting more than 5,000 students, teachers, and staff, upgrading the WinS star-rating of these schools to 1-star in the hygiene facility indicator of DepEd’s Three Star Approach.
Through the partnership with Vivant Foundation, 10 schools were provided with 10-faucet pedal-operated hygiene facilities benefiting more than 5,000 students, teachers, and staff, upgrading the WinS star-rating of these schools to 1-star in the hygiene facility indicator of DepEd’s Three Star Approach.
In Palawan, four schools benefitted from the project, namely Sta. Monica Elementary School in Coron, Busuanga Elementary School in Old Busuanga, Malaking Patag Elementary School in Malaking Patag in Culion, and Sta. Lourdes National High School in Puerto Princesa City. In Cebu, hygiene facilities were installed in Kabangbang Central Elementary School in Bantayan, Tayud Elementary School in Tayud, Liloan, and Buagsong Elementary School in Buagsong, Cordova. While in La Union, the facilities were installed at schools in the municipality of Bauang: Payocpoc Elementary School, Santiago Elementary School, and Guerrero Elementary School.
“Our handwashing facility is very important to our school. Teachers and learners wash their hands in our handwashing facility before entering their respective classrooms. Since it is a group handwashing facility, it can accommodate 10 learners at the same time. It is really a big help in our school. That is why our school is very thankful to our benefactor, Vivant, for giving us this special project,” said Darlene Calica, Principal of Guerrero Elementary School, La Union.
In his speech during the turnover ceremony in Puerto Princesa, Vivant Foundation CEO Shem Garcia expressed the importance of partnerships in the delivery of successful social development programs. “This partnership shows how important relationships really are to Vivant as a company,” Garcia said. “By working together, with organizations like the League of Corporate Foundations, we’re able to do more. Thank you to the LCF for creating that community among foundations where we’ve learned and grown,” he added.
The hygiene facilities are designed to respond to COVID-19 challenges, hence, include pedal-operated, properly distanced faucets one meter apart, to ensure physical distancing during group handwashing and facilitate the behavior of contactless handwashing. Each is equipped with a soap dish, to promote handwashing with soap, and with signages on the steps to proper handwashing, toothbrushing, and COVID-19 precautionary measures.
“As an organization with the core advocacy of WASH or water access, sanitation, and hygiene, Manila Water Foundation is grateful to be the implementing partner of the League of Corporate Foundations on the LCFWinS Program. This is indeed a demonstration of our collective effort and impact – working together to create the enabling environment and the right conditions for good hand hygiene in schools, for our learners and teachers,” said MWF Executive Director Reginald Andal.
Overall, #LCFWinS has benefited 147,029 individuals, 5,893 of which benefited through the partnership with Vivant Foundation, covering 10 schools in Palawan, Cebu, and La Union, implemented from May 2021 to March 2022.
Through the LCFWinS, Vivant Foundation funded the construction of 10 units of 10-faucet hygiene facilities in 10 schools in Palawan, Cebu, and La Union from August 2021 to March 2022.
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LCFWinS is a collaboration among corporations and corporate foundations in support of the WASH in Schools program of the Department of Education. It also supports the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan of the Department at this time of the Pandemic. LCFWinS is aligned with one of the League of Corporate Foundations’ strategic pillars - Collective Impact, which is the network’s ability to convene, participate, collaborate, and build partnerships among its members and other stakeholders toward addressing gaps in social development.
League of Corporate Foundations 