They don’t only sell cars

Readers of this column will remember about the first Driven to Serve Awards, which the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ) under its president Pinky Colmenares, executive editor of Manila Bulletin, launched at about the same time last year.

By way of brief introduction, SPMJ is composed of motoring editors, columnists, TV hosts, and broadcast and online journalists.  SPMJ’s first project was crafting a teaching module, in cooperation with the University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Studies, as a teachers’ tool in teaching grade school and high school studies about road safety and responsible road usage, a first in the country.

Our shared advocacy has expanded, and today still benefits many schools and communities.

Driven to Serve is the society’s second major project, again a first in the country. It centers on the auto industry’s corporate social responsibility projects that recognizes the efforts of the various automotive companies in uplifting lives and improving communities.  In sharing their CSR projects with the public, the awards also inspire other corporate citizens, not necessarily in the auto industry, to do their share in what we hope will eventually be a nationwide effort to improve the life of Filipinos.

Last year’s event, the launch of the Driven to Serve Awards held at the ballroom of the Marriot Hotel (because Resorts World Manila was one of our partners in the collective effort), was a resounding success. Their own Pinoy Ultimate Jeepney flagship project, which counts as the company’s CSR project was showcased during the awards night.

This year marks the second edition of the Driven to Serve Awards, in cooperation with the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), with the culmination and awards-giving held at the prestigious Yuchengco Museum in Makati City.  Most of the judges who tirelessly watched the video entries of the participating car companies last year, again lent their time selflessly to assess and deliberate on this year’s entries.

This year’s distinguished panel of judges were: Sergio Ortiz-Luis, honorary chairman and treasurer of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry and CEO of PhilExport; Rodrigo Franco, president and CEO of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. and NLEX Corp.; Michael M. Alba, president of Far Eastern University, East Asia Educational Foundation, East Asia Computer Center, among others; Marites Tejero Dagdag, first woman president and GM of the Southeast Asia region of the Clorox Co.; Dante Lantin, asst. secretary for administration and finance of the Dept. of Transportation; and Enrique da Roza, professor at De la Salle University.

It was an intimate, formal affair that SPMJ hosted on March 7, and what better way to have it than at the Yuchengco Museum in the company of the late Ambassador Yuchengco’s personal collection of Philippine historical memorabilia and artifacts, as well as excellent works of noted Filipino artists. The Rizal Collection on the fourth floor was one of the focal points of interest which enthralled the guests at the awards.

Cocktails and a light dinner buffet, from no less than the ultimate Filipino caterer Ilustrado, were served before the awards were presented.

Seeking the best from a formidable field of entries was not easy. The entries were divided into four categories:  community development, environment, road safety and education and training.  In community development, the silver award was shared by two winners, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines and Lexus Manila.  Mitsubishi believes in the importance of instilling the value of learning, arts and culture to the children through the use of interesting materials that encourage learning. A Mitsubishi Montero led the convoy that first brought the stock of books to Montalban, Rizal.  On its 100th anniversary, the company hosted a free art workshop for kids and adults at the World Trade Center with renowned artist Fernando Sena. The Mitsubishi partnership with CANVAS is going for a one-million books campaign.        

Lexus Manila, the other silver awardee, is a staunch supporter of the NGO Children’s Hour.  With a simple gesture of greeting a customer on his/her birthday with a card that carries a corresponding amount donated to the NGO, the partnership has gone a long way. The proceeds of the program, which Lexus initiated in 2002, help the NGO’s programs like scholarships, medical assistance and facilities for abandoned children.

The gold award was shared by Toyota Motor Philippines for its medical and dental outreach program and Hyundai Asia Resources for its rainwater harvesting system.  Toyota has been providing quality healthcare services to the communities where their facilities are located for the past 26 years! Free consultation clinics for pediatrics, diagnostics (chest x-ray, lab, complete blood count, urinalysis, ECG, ultrasound and mammography) general medicine, urgent care, ENT/Ophthalmology care,ENT/Ophthalmology, Ob-Gyne surgery and dermatology services are provided in these communities. A Toyota mobile clinic, which also serves as an ambulance, is on standby for use even by nearby communities. Toyota employees generously volunteer their time to serve the communities.

Hyundai’s rain water harvesting system is a filtration method capable of producing and storing potable water from rain gathered from roof gutters that now supplies clean potable water to residents of Barangay Tandang Kutyo in Tanay, Rizal which only has one water source. The pilot program was launched on May 22, 2017 at Rawang Elementary School where the storage tanks are located within the school property. For the next phase of this project, Hyundai trucks fitted with aluminium tanks will start delivering water gathered from Rawang Elementary School to neighboring towns.

Ford Philippines has the distinction of winning the platinum award in this category with its Operation Better World umbrella program. Their two key projects under this include access to clean water and community building in Gawad Kalinga’s communities. In 2017 alone, Ford Philippines built three water facilities in Nueva Ecija and Batangas to serve an additional 120 families.  Previous to that, GK communities in Leyte, with about 700 families, benefitted from the eight clean water facilities built by Ford. Each water facility includes a tank, cistern, several faucets and a common area for residents to wash.  With its partnership with Gawad Kalinga, the company donates $10,000 every year to GK since 2014 to fund the water facilities.  GK communities in Muntinglupa, Calamba, San Pedro and Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Cavite and Batangas have reaped the benefits of Ford’s programs to improve the quality of life of its residents.

Next week, we will continue with all the winners of the three other categories in the 2^nd SPMJ Driven To Serve Awards.

Mabuhay!!!  Be proud to be a Filipino.

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