Category: LCF News

General Santos City, March 8, 2024—From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. yesterday, LCF held its CSR on the Go Gen San session at the Grand Summit Hotel in General Santos City. 

“LCF created the VisMin Regional Chapter in 2022, recognizing that building partnerships across regions is essential for the practice of CSR,” said Shem Jose W. Garcia, LCF Vice-Chairperson, LCF-CSR Institute Chairperson, and Vivant Foundation, Inc. Executive Director. “General Santos is the second city in Mindanao that we are bringing CSR on the Go to. Despite our name, membership is not limited to corporate foundations but all companies who engage with their communities to build shared value through programs that invest in different sectors of society and the environment.”

In support of nation-building, LCF promotes and enhances Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practice among its members and the larger business community. In keeping with this thrust, LCF organizes CSR on the Go sessions to reach out to and promote CSR to non-member corporate foundations, organizations, private companies, and business communities. 

CSR on the Go Gen San includes two University Lecture Series sessions, which will be conducted at Mindanao State University (MSU) – General Santos City and Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU). The CSR Lecture Series aims to inculcate basic CSR concepts and principles as well as best practices in university students, particularly business and social sciences students, and is offered free of charge to support the implementation of CHED Memo 39. This is a 2006 directive that mandates universities offering business administration courses to include three units of social responsibility and good governance subjects in their business administration curricula.

LCF’s first stop for CSR on the Go is in General Santos City. This is co-hosted by LCF member Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc. (CLAFI). Aside from this leg, LCF will hold succeeding CSR on the Go sessions in Bohol and Cagayan de Oro City. 

Yesterday in General Santos, LCF also announced its inaugural Medal of Recognition. Through this new initiative, the organization seeks to recognize and uphold projects and programs which bring about positive change in local communities and which are undertaken by organizations that are not members of LCF.  This is in parallel with the CSR Guild Awards through which LCF celebrates exemplary CSR initiatives organized by member organizations. The Medal will honor exemplary initiatives across the seven thematic areas of Arts & Culture, Disaster Resilience, Education, Environment, Enterprise Development, Financial Inclusion, and Health.

LCF is now accepting entries to the Medal of Recognition. The top three applicants per thematic area will be notified and invited to the 2024 CSR Conference and Expo, the culmination of LCF’s government-mandated celebration of CSR Week 2024, which will take place from July 3-4 at the Mayuree Ballroom of the Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City. Medal of Recognition winners will be announced and awarded at a ceremony to be held on July 5 at the Glorietta Activity Center, Makati City, as part of the CSR EXPO during which leading CSR initiatives will be showcased to the general public.

“The Gensan Chamber of Commerce partners with the League of Corporate Foundations to promote social responsibility within the regional business sector,” said Miguel Rene A. Dominguez, President, General Santos City Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (GSCCCI). “Today’s understanding of corporate contributions to social issues and nation building will motivate business leaders in the region to not only focus on business but also to become responsible citizens who collaborate with local stakeholders to benefit their communities.”

CSR on the Go Gen San is organized in partnership with Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.; Alsons Power Group; Jollibee Group Foundation, Inc.; PhilSeven Foundation, Inc.; and Zuellig Family Foundation, Inc.

Visit the Medal of Recognition microsite at bit.ly/medalofrecognition; the CSR on the Go microsite at bit.ly/3ONSPdI; and the 2024 CSR Conference and Expo homepage at bit.ly/2024CSRExpo. For inquiries, email the LCF CSRI Officer at theleagueincsr@gmail.com and the LCF Communications Officer at communications1.lcf@gmail.com.

In keeping with its commitment to make this year’s iteration of its flagship event, the 2023 CSR Conference and Expo carbon-neutral, the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) organized a tree planting session at the U.P. Sierra Madre Land Grant in Siniloan, Laguna last Saturday, November 25, 2023.

A total of 57 participants represented LCF members Ronald McDonald House Charities, Pfizer Philippines, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Telus, and Uygongco Foundation; McDonalds Philippines; and selected members of the LCF Board of Trustees and Secretariat. They planted endemic species of trees to help meet the “net zero” commitment made by the conveners and participants at the 2023 CSR Expo last July 2023. 

This tree planting session is LCF’s inaugural effort to make the CSR Conference and Expo carbon-neutral, in keeping with the organization’s overall drive for sustainability and to combat climate change. Similar activities will be held in parallel with future CSR Expos, beginning with the 2024 Expo which will be organized from July 3-5, 2024.

The event was organized in partnership with LCF member Energy Development Corporation and the LCF Environment Committee.

Click HERE for more pictures from the session.

The 2023 LCF Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM) and Year-End Celebration was held on November 24, 2023 at the Ayala Banquet Hall of the Makati Sports Club in Makati City. In attendance were 106 attendees representing 58 of LCF’s member-organizations, as well as esteemed members of the LCF Board of Trustees and STEERCOM, and special guests.

Once preliminaries were done and quorum established, the event kicked off with a business meeting, during which the LCF Board Chair, Sebastian C. Quiniones, Jr., Executive Director of Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc., took the lead in delivering the Chairperson’s Report, selected segments of which other members of the Board of Trustees also took turns to present. The Chairperson’s Report details the activities and achievements of the League in the previous year.

Attendees thanked the outgoing Board of Trustees (BOT) member Marie Angeles, Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities Philippines, Inc. for her outstanding service to LCF as Secretary and then Treasurer, and Board Oversight of the LCF Disaster Resilience and Membership Committees. 

Attendees also congratulated Shem Garcia, Executive Director of Vivant Foundation, Inc., Vice-Chairperson and Board Oversight of the LCF CSRI, Environment, and Vis-Min Committees; and Austere Panadero, President of Zuellig Family Foundation, Inc., Trustee and Board Oversight of the LCF Resource Mobilization and Health Committees, upon their re-election to the Board. They also welcomed new LCF Trustee, Ryan Vidanes, Executive Director of Conrado & Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc. 

Messrs. Garcia, Panadero, and Vidanes join LCF’s incumbent Trustees–Roberta Lopez-Feliciano, Managing Director of ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc., Board Secretary, and Board Oversight of the Financial Inclusion Committee; Geoffrey Garcia, Executive Director of Pfizer Foundation Philippines, Board Public Affairs Director, and Board Oversight of the Arts & Culture Committee; Edric Calma, Vice President of Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc., Board Trustee, and Board Oversight of the Education Committee; and Sebastian C. Quiniones, Jr., Executive Director of Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Board Chair, and Board Oversight of the Enterprise Development Committee.

As for the Committees, their leadership was also recognized for their outstanding service, and were presented with Certificates of Appreciation.

The members of the LCF COMELEC were also honored for having ensured a seamless and efficient BOT election. They were COMELEC Chair, Dennis Tuazon of PHAPCares Foundation, Inc.; Neil Norman Q. Littaua of Citizen of the World (COTW) Philippines Foundation, Inc.; and Rhia G. Dee of P&A Foundation, Inc., who was represented at the AMM by Kristine Ngo also of P&A Foundation.

Honored as well were this year’s batch of 14 Loyalty Awardees. They are:

25 Years – ANG-HORTALEZA FOUNDATION, INC.

20 Years – ONE MERALCO FOUNDATION, INC. | TAN YAN KEE FOUNDATION | DEL MONTE FOUNDATION, INC. | SGV FOUNDATION, INC. | SPI GLOBAL FOUNDATION, INC.

10 Years – GT FOUNDATION INC. | EAST WEST SEED FOUNDATION INC. | UNITED BAYANIHAN FOUNDATION INC. | PHILSEVEN FOUNDATION INC.

5 Years – P&A FOUNDATION INC. | PFIZER PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION, INC.| JOY-NOSTALG FOUNDATION, INC. | MEGA TIU LIM FOUNDATION, INC.

The assembly also witnessed the induction of and welcomed LCF’s two newest member-organizations, Power4All and St. Francis Square Foundation.

The leadership of the Enterprise Development Committee was also on hand to tell the assembly about their initiative, #LOKALAN, the LCF community marketplace that aims to bridge the buying public and selected micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

After lunch, attendees enjoyed a year-end celebration during which they vied for prizes by playing fun games such as “The boat is sinking”, “Sing that song”, and “Cash or carry”; performed numbers to the delight of their fellow attendees; and enjoyed one another’s company.

In keeping with its advocacy to create more livelihood opportunities, the LCF Enterprise Development Committee launched the microsite Lokalan. Lokalan serves as a digital channel to open up more revenue avenues for the cooperatives and social enterprises trained by its members.

Lokalan is the first step in the Committee’s plans to digitally connect MSMEs with a wider public. Future plans include partnering with an online shopping platform to help them grow their customer base even more.

Explore Lokalan today! Every purchase benefits these small and medium businesses and contributes significantly to their growth. #Lokalan #LokalNaman #LCFlokalan

On October 6, 2023, LCF’s Pamela Castro, Senior Program Manager of Pilipinas Shell Foundation; Marievic Mariano, Head, Grants and Partnerships of Metrobank Foundation; Anna Mayor, Program Manager of Pfizer Philippines Foundation; and LCF Executive Director Celine Santillan were resource speakers at a training organized by Venture for Fund Raising, entitled “The Art of Collaboration: NGO-Corporate Partnerships That Work”.

The four resource speakers provided the participants with insights into the nature of corporate foundations and how not for profits could develop a mutually beneficial relationship with corporate foundations to help fulfill both their missions.

Visit the Venture for Fund Raising homepage to learn more about the organization.

On September 20, 2023, in partnership with the LCF Environment Committee, LCF organized an online Kapihan sa LCF session entitled “From Waste to Responsibility: Understanding the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Law”.

The Kapihan session was graced by its keynote speaker, Atty. Jonas R. Leones, Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Attendees represented various LCF member organizations including those with representation in the Environment Committee as well as the DENR itself.

Atty. Leones spoke at length about the EPR with the aim of helping Kapihan attendees achieve a better understanding of the law as well as its implementation. His comprehensive discussion focused on three points. Firstly, he zeroed in on the disparate roles undertaken by stakeholders in the EPR ecosystem. He then proceeded to discuss different facets of the law’s implementation, including EPR programs, compliance measures, monitoring procedures, reporting practices, and audit protocols. Atty. Leones then rounded out his discussion by identifying strategic partnerships and collaborative initiatives that promote sustainability.

Do you want to learn about effective CSR program development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation?

Join our back-to-back workshops on Program Development and Implementation and Program Evaluation and Impact Measurement this August and September!

Register and learn more about it here:

Program Development & Implementation Workshop – https://tinyurl.com/LCFPDI2023

Program Evaluation and Impact Measurement Workshop –

https://tinyurl.com/LCFPEIM2023

For inquiries, please send Ms. Remy Alyssa Tubig (CSR Institute Program Officer) an email at theleagueincsr@gmail.com

The 6-module certificate program on CSR Reloaded: Implementing the Covenant for Shared Prosperity held its culminating activity on April 14, 2023 with the graduation of nine (9) participants who successfully completed all the course requirements, including a presentation of an action research plan. 

The one-hour virtual program was hosted by the DLSU School of Lifelong Learning (SoLL), led by Dr. Benito Teehankee, Professor of Business Ethics. Guests at the ceremony included Sebastian Quiniones, Jr. (LCF Chair), Shem Jose Garcia (LCF Vice-chair and oversight for the CSR Institute), and Celine Santillan (LCF Executive Director). Congratulatory messages were also delivered by Dr. Emilina Sarreal, Dean of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business, Atty. Benedicta Du-Balalad, President of the Management Association of the Philippines, and Maximillian Robert Ventura, ESG Consultant of AIA Philippines, who spoke on behalf of LCF. Also present were faculty members Ma. Pamela Castro of Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Dr. Mary Margaret Que of the DLSU, and Dr. Ramon Segismundo, also of the DLSU.

Certificates of completion, jointly signed by LCF and DLSU, were awarded to the 9 graduates, led by Mary Joyce Gaviola, Program Manager of East-West Seed Foundation, who gave the response to the congratulatory messages on behalf of the graduates. Other completers of the program were:

Maribeth Marasigan, President/ COO of Aboitiz Foundation

Marlito Cabigas, Youth Leadership Program of Ayala Foundation

Ieda Ysobel Jimenez, Program Officer, GT Foundation

Ma. Gina Bulanhagui, Executive Director, Jesus V. Del Rosario Foundation

Marievic Mariano, Head of Grants and Healthcare Unit, Metrobank Foundation

Veronica Gabaldon, Executive Director, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation

Raiza Cusi, Program Excellence Manager, Pilipinas Shell Foundation

Reiza Ayla Banega, Lead for Programs and Partnerships, Sun Life Financial Philippines Foundation

Participants who attended select modules of the program were awarded certificates of attendance:

Owen Cammayo, Executive Director of BPI Foundation

John Lemuel Gardose, Program Manager of Megawide Corporate Foundation

Teresa Saavedra, Executive Director, Megawide Corporate Foundation

Jean Karl Huyatid, Reputation and Stakeholder Management Supervisor, Therma South

Angelica Marie Ozaeta, CSR and Sustainability Head, Unionbank of the Philippines

Ma. Camille Vergara, CSR and Sustainability Officer, Unionbank of the Philippines

Joanna Paula Queddeng, Program Officer, Jollibee Group Foundation

Sheila Marie Vergara, Program Officer, Jollibee Group Foundation 

Asked to give a few words about the program, here is what some of the graduates had to say:

“I can now give because I do have. I took care of my petals and now I can take care of others’ petals as well. In CSP, kayang-kaya basta’t sama-sama. #MagingMagiting” – Marlito Cabigas

“It would be strategic to work on the social and emotional development areas because if I communicate clear intentions and build strong connections, advocating CSP would be more manageable.” – Ieda Jimenez

“I’ve always believed in living life to the fullest and never stop learning, and hopefully along the way touch others in a positive way. I believe very much that this is aligned with becoming an advocate for shared prosperity.” – Maribeth Marasigan

“I learned that I still have a lot to work on, especially in my health and other aspects of my development. I learned that as a CSPian, I am able to influence others to become better people and develop our programs better.” – Aviec Mariano

“The more we spread the awareness of CSP to more people the better chance of creating a better Philippines to live in for our future generations. #maypagasapa” – Joyce Gaviola

“I would recommend this course to colleagues and also CSR practitioners. I have been advocating and promoting this course to other colleagues, especially those in the leadership position. The course offers “changemakers” a unique opportunity (not only) to learn and develop, but also to be part of a larger cause/movement.” – Raiza Cusi

Earlier today, LCF held its first Members’ Meeting of the year at the Sunshine Place on Jupiter Street in Makati City. 85 member-representatives (75 in person and 13 via Zoom) were in attendance.

Highlights of the meeting:

Max Ventura, AIA ESG Consultant and LCF Health Committee Chair, presented the CSR Case Book “Fueling Hope, Driving Change: 15 CSR Stories by LCF Members”.

Led by Board Treasurer and Membership Committee Chair Marie Angeles, attendees welcomed new LCF member Converge, which was sworn in by Sebastian C. Quiniones, our Board Chair. Converge representatives then talked about the company.

Arts & Culture Committee Chair Michelle Santos and Disaster Resilience Committee Chair Fred Dalumpines discussed the Guild Awards 2023.

Board Vice-Chair Shem Jose Garcia provided details about the 2023 CSR EXPO.

LCF then held its Forum, “The Sweet Spot: How CSR Contributes to Corporates’ ESG Practice and Reporting”, which featured the following speakers:

a. Main Speaker: Mr. Ricky De Castro, Executive Director, Business for Sustainable Development, who discussed the intersection and confluence of CSR and ESG reporting as well as important considerations regarding both.

b. Reactors, who took Mr. De Castro’s presentation forward by presenting insiders’ insights into how CSR and ESG reporting are practiced within each of their organizations:

– Ms. Raiza Cusi, Program Excellence Manager, Pilipinas Shell Foundation

– Ms. Jo Ann Eala, Vice President and Head of Sustainability, Bank of the Philippine Islands

– Ms. Gisela Tiongson, Executive Director, Jollibee Group Foundation.

CSR Casebook “Fueling Hope, Driving Change: 15 CSR Stories by LCF Members” also introduced

LCF Board of Trustees Chairperson Sebastian Quiniones Jr., Executive Director of Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc.; Vice-Chairperson Shem Jose Garcia, Executive Director of Vivant Foundation, Inc; and Secretary Owen Cammayo, Executive Director of BPI Foundation, Inc. take questions from the press during the press launch of the 2023 CSR EXPO, held earlier today in Makati City.

During the launch, the CSR Casebook “Fueling Hope, Driving Change: 15 CSR Stories by LCF Members” was also introduced to the press by Max Ventura, AIA Philippines ESG Consultant, and journalist Tina Arceo-Dumlao.