Through the 2024 CSR Conference and Expo, 6th Guild Awards
and inaugural Medal of Recognition
The League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) continues to lead the celebration of National CSR Week in the Philippines and celebrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) excellence through its 2024 CSR Conference and Expo; 6th CSR Guild Awards; and inaugural Medal of Recognition awarding ceremony. These served as the League’s culminating activities to mark this year’s celebration of National CSR Week, which is held every first week of July.
Harnessing technology and innovation to amplify CSR impact
The League organized the 2024 Conference from July 3-4 at the Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City. The Conference served as a rallying point for CSR practitioners to get together, learn about the promise technologies and innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) offer as well as the disruptive impacts they can have—especially upon more vulnerable members of society—and determine how practitioners can collaborate to harness the potentials these technologies can offer while overcoming their risks.
Themed “Reimagining a New and Inclusive Future”, this year’s Expo brought together leaders, experts, and representatives across different industries to tackle significant topics ranging from how technology can enhance CSR practice and ESG reporting to AI’s role as a catalyst for innovation and as a source of disruption. It also showcased small-group breakout sessions that served as venues for attendees to garner new insights and tactics regarding how AI and other revolutionary technologies could be leveraged across such crucial areas as enterprise development, health, environment, education, disaster resilience, arts and culture, and financial inclusion.
The speaker lineup included Keynote Speaker, Dr. David R. Hardoon, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aboitiz Data Innovation; Forum Speakers Leo de Velez, co-founder of Frontlearners, Inc.; Sherwin Yap, founder of Kaizen Robotics International; and Sherlo Reyes, Director for the Center for Partnership & Development, School of Deaf Education & Applied Studies at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
For the thematic sessions, speakers included Ted Monroy, country representative, United Nations Industrial Development Organization; Dr. Alvin Marcelo, Philippine Digital Health Strategy Technical Working Group, Department of Health; Ms. Cindy Burdette, Chief Commercial Officer, KonsultaMD; James Elrond B. Lagare, Managing Director, Geodata Systems Technologies, Inc.; Prof. Erika Fille T. Legara, Aboitiz chair in Data Science and Associate Professor, Asian Institute of Management; Hon. Nolasco A. Mempin, Undersecretary for Administration, Department of Education; Ms. Aprille P. Tijam, Associate Director and Head of Exhibitions and Collections, Ayala Museum; Engr. Sergio Ramos III, president of PCI Innovations Tech Center; and Esteban Masagca, Executive Director, People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network.
Celebrating CSR excellence
The 6th CSR Guild Awards, organized annually by LCF, recognized corporate member-foundations of LCF for developing outstanding CSR projects that created a positive impact on the communities they serve.
As LCF approaches its 30th anniversary, the organization also rolled out the Medal of Recognition awarding ceremony—the culmination of its inaugural effort to recognize outstanding CSR initiatives of organizations which are not members of LCF.
LCF also continued to hold the Expo—an exhibition of CSR initiatives in a public setting—from July 4-5, with this year’s venue being the Glorietta Activity Center in Glorietta Mall, Makati City.
“Since its inception in 2019, the CSR Guild Awards has been our way to acknowledge the ongoing commitment of corporations to perform as responsible members of society by behaving according to ethical principles and contributing to national economic development, while improving the community they operate in and serve and the environment itself,” said Ramon Derige, 2024 LCF CSR Guild Awards Chairperson, LCF Board Trustee, and Executive Director, SEAOIL Foundation, Inc.
For his part, Sebastian C. Quiniones, Jr., LCF Board Chairperson and Executive Director, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, said, “In line with its work and mission to grow awareness of and promote the practice of CSR, LCF now works to recognize CSR excellence undertaken by non-LCF members through the Medal of Recognition. We are pleased that our inaugural effort has been enthusiastically participated in by our entrants this year, and look forward to next year’s effort.”
Outstanding CSR
After a rigorous nomination, screening, and judging process by an external panel of judges and the membership, eight CSR Guild Awards were bestowed under two major categories: seven Program Awards (Arts and Culture, Disaster Resilience, Enterprise Development, Environment, Education, Financial Inclusion, and Health); and one Collaboration Awards, which recognized initiatives undertaken by two or more LCF members or partnerships composed of multiple organizations.
This year’s winners are as follows:
League of Corporate Foundations 