Top CSR Leaders Share Insights on Transformational Change in Building A Shared Future For Inclusive Growth at The International CSR Summit 2018

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Themed “Building A Shared Future”, The International CSR Summit 2018 was organized by Enterprise Asia, Asia's leading association for Responsible Entrepreneurship to help prepare businesses to build and secure a “Shared Future” by combating urgent issues threatening people and planet. At the summit, world reknowned thought leaders and CSR practitioners came together to define an agenda that catalyses inclusive growth and drives multi-collaborations to address the challenges of our time. 

When small sustainable impacts are no longer enough, leaders must deliver real and powerful impact and solutions to meet Sustainable Development Goals, identify the areas and impacts of the business that needs transformational change.

“Organizations have a powerful role to play in all these, we must develop new models for collaboration and collectively tackle complex sustainability challenges of our times. It is time to step up and take responsibility for sustainability, to create a sustainable future for society as whole” says Dato’ William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.

Speakers of the summit include Dr. Eugene Chien, former Minister of Environment and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, Republic of China, and Advisor to Enterprise Asia; Cheryl Maley, President and Managing Director of Novartis Philippines; Laetitia Lienart, Vice President of  Corporate Citizenship APAC of Credit Suisse; Jun de Dios, President Director of Akzo Nobel, Titon Mitra from UNDP, Dr. Niven Huang, Regional Leader of KPMG Sustainability Services Asia Pacific; Maricel Aguilar from UN WOMEN Philippines and Leo M. Herrera-Lim, Chairman, ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR); to name a few.

Cheryl Maley, President and Managing Director of Novartis told the audience that comprehensive transformational change is needed for long-term sustainable impact, and Laetitia Lienart, VP Corporate Citizenship from Credit Suisse presented on turning competitors into collaborators while Leo Herrera-Lim spoke on human rights and inclusiveness in businesses.

ICS 2018 Manila was made possible through the support of its Title Sponsor Universal Harvester, Inc. truly embodying what CSR events and programs stand for. Universal Harvester safeguards the interest and welfare of the farmers by offering the best quality fertilizers at the most reasonable cost, and to help to assist farmers in keeping abreast with the latest technology for maximum yield.

Benilde Alumni Get FAMAS Nods

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Two short films made by graduates of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Digital Filmmaking program (BenildeFilm) are nominated in the 66th FAMAS Gabi ng Parangal to be held on June 10, Sunday, at the Theatre at Solaire.

This is the first time that the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences is honoring the year’s best works in the short film and documentary categories.

Carl Chavez‘s Sorry for the Inconvenience and Carlo Fajarda‘s Suerte will vie for the “historic” Best Short Film award along with fellow nominees Aliens Ata by Glenn Barit, Babylon by Keith Deligero, Dory by Beverly Ramos, Engkwento by Ryan Machado, Gikan sa Ngitngit Nga Kinailadman by Kiri Dalena, Hilom by P. R. Patindol, Link by Mike Esteves and Si Astri Maka Si Tambulah by Xeph Suarez.

In Sorry for the Inconvenience, a timid teenager named Joshua (Ronwaldo Martin) comes home one night after beaten up by the school’s bully. With revenge on his mind, the teenager decides to take matters into his own hands. When things don’t go as planned, he is left with no choice but to seek help from his policeman father (Simon Ibarra). Cherry Malvar and Luis Ruiz also provide support.

The film bagged the Best Short Film award at the Cinema One Originals 2017 last November. It also competed at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival last August.

On the other hand, Suerte follows two amateur filmmakers (played by Fajarda himself and the film’s director of photography and editor Phillipe Quintos) shooting a documentary about the drug trade. While they go along with their subjects, brothers Betong (Karl Medina) and Roel (Dan Medrana), their dangerous obsession with their project forces them to cross the line between observer and creator.

Fajarda’s thesis film competed in the Wide Angle category of the Busan International Film Festival and in the Southeast Asian short film competition of the 28th Singapore International Film Festival last year.

Meanwhile, Nawruz Bernardo Paguidopon‘s God Bliss Our Home, Jewel Maranan‘s Sa Palad ng Dantaong Kulang and Victor Delotavo Tagaro‘s Yield also made FAMAS history as the award-giving body’s first-ever nominees for Best Documentary Film.

Cinemalaya winner Respeto leads all films this year with 15 nominations, followed by QCinema Best Film Balanginga, Howling Wilderness with 11 and Metro Manila Film Festival Best Picture Ang Larawan, Philippine entry to the Oscars Birdshot and the documentary Yield, with six nods each. Love You to the Stars and Back, Changing Partners, Nervous Translation and Historiographika Errata have five nominations each.

FAMAS is undergoing a major facelift this year. An independent jury, which is headed by award-winning writer Ricardo “Ricky” Lee and composed of film practitioners, critics and educators as members, selected the nominees and will vote for the winners.

Piolo Pascual, Kim Chiu and Robi Domingo will host this year’s awards night with Megavision’s Madonna Sanchez serving as the program’s executive producer.

DOE to Donate E-trikes to 4 NCR Cities

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THEY'RE BETTER: Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi (far right) talks about the features of the e-trike with (from left) Pateros Mayor Miguel “Ike” Ponce III, Valenzuela Mayor Rexlon T. Gatchalian, Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, and Las Piñas Mayor Imelda Aguilar. The four mayors signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Energy Chief on 1 June 2018 as recipients of the electric vehicles under the DOE’s E-Trike Program.

Department of Energy (DOE), thru Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, will donate e-trike units to the cities of Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Pateros and Valenzuela. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by the DOE Secretary with the City Mayors at the DOE headquarters on Friday (June 1). 

“The DOE E-Trike is a project that encourages the transition from oil to cleaner sources of energy,” Cusi said.

“The 900 units to be given to the four cities will benefit many communities, in terms of livelihood and the services that it can provide to the people,” Cusi emphasized.

The DOE will provide Las Piñas 100 e-trike units, Muntinlupa,  150 units; Pateros, 400 units; 

and Valenzuela, 250 units. 

Under the MOA, the LGUs must comply with the documentary requirements,  among other prerequisites, such as their proposal for the utilization of the e-trikes in their LGUs.

In January, the DOE donated e-trike units to the Marawi LGU as part of the national government’s rebuilding efforts in the city after the siege.

The first 10 of the 200 units will arrive in Cagayan De Oro on Sunday, while the Philippine Navy is scheduling the rest for shipment.

In line with the E-Power Mo campaign, the DOE promotes the revolutionary concept of modernizing the transport sector by providing an efficient, safe, ergonomic and environment-friendly alternative mode of transport for  local and foreign tourists via the Market Transformation Through the Introduction of Energy Efficient Vehicles (E-trike) Project.

The DOE aims to facilitate transport sector modernization through the use of energy-efficient and alternative technology vehicles to complement the government’s objective of sustainable and inclusive growth. 

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GREEN TRIKE: Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi (center) led the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Agreement with four LGUs in Metro Manila for the donation of e-trikes. Las Piñas, Valenzuela, Muntinlupa, and Pateros will be using the e-trikes as an alternative public transportation for the people and a means of livelihood for tricycle drivers. (From left): Asec Redentor Delola, Dir. Angelina Manga, Asec. Leonido Pulido III, Asec. Caron Aicitel Lascano, Senior Undersecretary Jesus Posadas, Usec. Donato Marcos, Las Pinas Mayor Imelda Aguilar, Valenzuela Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian, Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi and Pateros Mayor Miguel “Ike” Ponce III.

DOE Eyes to Establish Strategic Oil Reserve

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In its effort to shield consumers from volatile international oil prices and ensure supply security, the Department of Energy (DOE) is pushing its efforts to engage the country's downstream oil industry within this month.

Earlier, DOE has announced that it has directed its attached agency, PNOC-EC (Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation), to engage in the selling of petroleum products sourced from non-OPEC members to independent petroleum dealers and to vulnerable sectors, such as public utility transport groups.

Cusi, who is the ex-officio Chairman of the PNOC-EC, said the move was meant to enhance competition among existing oil industry players and stabilize domestic oil prices.

“We are looking at other countries. Russia is just an option. PNOC-EC expects to receive the first shipment by end of June,” Cusi said.  

According to Cusi, PNOC-EC is looking at the different areas for the reserve’s storage and among the areas being considered are Subic, Phividec Complex and Quezon.

At present, oil companies are required to maintain a Minimum lnventory Requirement (MlR) of in-country stocks equivalent to 30 days of crude and products for refiners, 15 days of products for importers/bulk suppliers and seven days of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stocks for LPG players.

Meanwhile, aside from ensuring the country’s supply, the DOE will also come out with a policy on unbundling petroleum product prices.

“We need to unbundle the prices. It has to happen,” the Energy Chief stressed, adding that this will provide the consumers more information about the petroleum products that they buy.

The DOE is currently conducting consultations with the stakeholders on the mechanism for unbundling.

International geopolitical developments, which include US sanctions on Iran, the drop in OPEC production levels and the political changes unfolding in Venezuela have resulted in the recent uptrend in oil prices for the past weeks.

With the volatility of oil prices, the DOE is encouraging consumers to be smart and judicious in the use of petroleum products, such as driving efficiently and managing trips properly to save on fuel costs, among others.

Cusi: Pagbilao Plant to Boost Energy Security, PH Dev't

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Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Friday (1 June) lauded the Pagbilao Energy Corporation (PEC) for beefing up its two power plants in Pagbilao, Quezon with a third facility that can produce additional 420 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

"With the growing economy spurring more and more commercial activities, the demand for power is also growing, so we would need power plants like the Pagbilao Unit 3 to sustain national development," Cusi said.

"The plant will also go a long way in supplying the energy needs of the country beyond the Duterte administration, thereby supporting future businesses," said Cusi.

The DOE Secretary acknowledged that the Pagbilao Unit 3 power plant is coal-fired, but he said it complies with environmental standards through the use of flue-gas desulfurizer (FGD) technology. FGD removes sulfur dioxide from exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants.

The PEC built the Pagbilao Unit 3 power plant at a cost of P976 million.

The plant is beside the Unit 1 and Unit 2 facility of the Pagbilao Power Station. Units 1, 2 and 3, which are all of the same technology, could generate a total of 735 MW.

Cusi Bags GSP Award

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The Department of Energy (DOE) headed by Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi was given an Institutional Citation Award by the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) during its 24th National Council Convention and Triennial Awards on May 26, 2018 at the Summit Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay City.

In January 2018, the DOE held a ceremonial signing with the GSP to train around 2.2 million Girl Scouts nationwide on E-Power Mo’s E-Safety on efficiency and conservation.

The DOE-GSP partnership conducts lectures on basic electricity concepts and energy consumption of various appliances as well as hands-on experiments.

It also aims to encourage Girl Scouts to pursue energy-related careers by stimulating their interests and passion despite the challenges in gender stereotyping.

Receiving the award for Cusi is DOE-CWPO Supervising Science Research Specialist Engr. Milo G. Lilang (2nd from left) together with (L-R) GSP National Executive Director Dolores T. Santiago, GSP National President Susan R. Locsin and GSP 24th National Council Convention Awards Committee Chairperson Dr. Paz H. Diaz.

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EMPOWERED WOMEN: The DOE Gender and Development Focal Point System (GAD-FPS) headed by Dir. Mylene C. Capongcol figured prominently in the recognition given to the Department of Energy as Institutional Citation Awardee during the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) 24th National Council Convention and Triennial Awards in Tagaytay City last Saturday.

The award cited DOE's unwavering support to GSP through its ENEReady and EnerKids programs.

Aligned with the DOE's #EPowerMo campaign, the #ENEReady and #EnerKids programs aim to promote gender balance and development in the energy sector and educate the younger generation on energy efficiency and conservation measures.

DOE GAD-FPS officers in photo are (L-R) Oil Industry Management Bureau Asst. Dir. Rodela I. Romero, CWPO Chief Helen B. Arias, Energy Policy and Planning Bureau Asst. Dir. Carmencita A. Bariso, and Energy Research and Testing Laboratory Services Dir. Amelia M. De Guzman.

SAGC Joins PRRD in his Official Visit to the Republic of Korea

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Earlier in the afternoon of 5 June 2018, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi (right), received letters of intent from several Korean companies for possible investments in the country's energy sector during the Philippines-Korea Business Forum and Luncheon hosted by the Korean Business Community for President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi presents to President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the letters of intent submitted by Korean firms SK Engineering & Construction, Sy Enc Co. Ltd., BKS Energy Industry Ltd., and SK E&S for various potential energy investments in the country.

Energy  Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi joins President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Cabinet Members in a meeting with the Filipino community in South Korea on 3 June 2018.

Be Wary of Celebrity Or Influencer Endorsements, They're Most Likely Be Fake

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Most of the time it is hard to believe truthfulness in everything when you know what's really happening behind all those brand promotions.

Many of us could not really scrutinize on the brand shortcomings and mention the epic fails because we fear that we may no longer get invited for future collaborations.

Naturally, the brands or PRs would screen the media or bloggers and retain only those who give a favorable review or feature, and avoid the critics.

Thus, the consuming public would mostly get to read only the positive stories, and less of the intriguing or controversial issues.

During my first year as a blogger, I got hired to talk negatively about a certain brand, and the sponsor was the competition. However, I was truly disgusted with the brand so I had very little problem coming out with nasty stories because they were all true.

But the point here is that both media and bloggers could actually be hired and get paid to either promote or demote certain brands, products, services and even people.

Paid ads actually benefit those with deep pockets because people would think that the brands with lavish publicity in the form of ads (trad or online), endorsers (celebrities or influencers), CSRs, campaigns, outreaches, etc., are the better brands.

This is the nasty truth within our community. People should not believe everything media or bloggers say because we've been pollutted by insincerities brought about by the aim to earn big, or become more popular.

Trust noone but yourself. You should put trust less for brands with celebrity endorsements since these celebrities are all given a hefty talent fee to endorse. This is probably why even known fitness and health buffs are endorsing junk food, canned foods, and sugar-filled treats, which we all know are not the most preferred and ideal to recommend.

Celebrities would say good things about the brand since they are getting a pretty good ex-deal with the arrangement. Remember glutathione endorsements, when the endorser already has great white complexion already. Canned food endorsement for fit and fab physical appearance? But we all know those fabulous abs resulted from strenous exercises and better diet.

We could list down several examples but that would make this blog too lengthy.

Overall, consumers should be the critic themselves and must not rely on hearsay or even glamorous testimonials because nowadays almost everyone has a price, and those big corporations could easily come up with a massive campaign to make themselves and their products, services and people, look good even when they are not.

Yamaha Team Pilipinas Expand Skill Set After ARRC Stint

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Yamaha Team Pilipinas Masato Fernando and McKinley Kyle Paz remained unfazed in their maiden campaign at the AP250 Category of the ARRC. Facing a bevy of highly experienced riders the Filipino tandem had their plates full on the tracks but still showcased their determination and valiantly competed against their fellow riders. During their race Masato suffered a slippage during the race which cost him his position but luckily “The Chairman” only had minor injuries. It’s still notable how he locked up the 17th spot as a first timer in this division. Paz meanwhile, improved from his previous finish of 27th by claiming the 23rd spot. The 17-year-old wunderkind pushed himself to the limit and displayed his growth in this racing journey.

The experience for the two proved to be priceless as they return to the Philippines as better and more complete riders. Their improvement will continue as they train for their next international races. Their potential has grown and their racing discipline will be a key factor moving forward. Of course, Yamaha Motor Philippines will be there every step of the way as they climb the international ranks and also continue to cultivate local riders. The race continues for the ultimate goal of having the first ever Filipino MotoGp Rider.

Honda PH Joins Color Manila’s CM Challenge Run in Taguig

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Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI), the number one motorcycle manufacturer in the Philippines, joins Color Manila’s CM CHALLENGE, the biggest obstacle fun run in the country, at McKinley West in Taguig City.

After conquering Clark, Pampanga and Sta. Rosa, Laguna last March and April respectively, HPI joins for another leg of Color Manila this time in Taguig City. To match the concept of this fun, entertaining and exciting event, HPI brings the colorful lineup of the new Honda BeAT and its nine color variants and a test ride course complete with its learn-to-ride program and free test ride of HPI’s automatic models, that matches the fun and youthful vibe in the event, while runners dance to their own BeAT with the ONE DREAM dance contest.

“In Honda, we believe in providing the joy of mobility to every Filipino, which is why we sponsored Color Manila Paradise Run, the biggest and most colorful concept run in the country and spread the excitement and fun in different cities in the Philippines. Through Color Manila, we can relate to the interests of the millennials through their fun lifestyle,” said Mr. Jomel Jerezo, General Manager and Department Manager of Motorcycle Business Planning.

This CM CHALLENGE is a unique event with exciting twists where participating runners will have to skip, hop, slide, crawl, and run, while they are brimming in colored powders from the color stations situated throughout the 5 kilometer route. It is capped off with the latest beats from the DJ while colored powders are thrown in the air.

Founded in 2012, Color Manila is the pioneer of colorful and fun concept runs in the Philippines. Runners can choose to join different concept runs such as CM Classic, CM Blacklight, CM Paradise, CM Glitter, and CM Challenge, to spread the excitement and fun of running one city at a time.

For more information, visitwww.colormanila.com or follow their Facebook and www.facebook.com/colormanila/ and twitter @Colormanila. You can also follow Honda Philippines, Inc. on Facebook –www.facebook.com/hondaph/ or visit their official website – www.hondaph.com.