MANILA, Philippines — Through its actions and decisions as an organization, Security Bank contributes to sustainable growth and creates value for its stakeholders. Aside from customers, employees, investors, regulators and suppliers, the Bank develops lasting relationship with the communities where it operates.
This commitment was recognized by Retail Banker International (RBI), when it awarded the Bank as Best CSR Initiative-Contribution to the Local Community.
“Security Bank recognizes the important role financial institutions play in nation-building and sustainable development. Our advocacies are aligned with our mission to enrich lives, empower businesses and build communities,” Sanjiv Vohra, Security Bank president and CEO, says.
Enriching lives
In 1993, Security Bank Foundation (SBFI) was established to help enrich the lives of Filipinos through education.
In 2011, it launched its “Build a School, Build a Nation: The Classrooms Project” to construct new classrooms. To date, 721 classrooms in over 64 cities have been completed. Aside from continuous infrastructure support, SBFI also provides learning enablement through tools and resources, teacher and parent support, and scholarships.
SBFI also embarked on new partnerships with Knowledge Channel and the Ateneo de Manila University, providing 64 of its partner schools with portable media libraries that can be used by students and teachers to enrich its alternative learning modalities.
Among many other advocacies, Security Bank also partners with Operation Smile to change lives, revolutionize surgical care, and help people who suffer from cleft palates. Support is provided through awareness campaigns, surgical programs and program sponsorships, most recently, the “Swing for Smiles” Golf Tournament which also celebrates Operation Smiles’ 40th anniversary.
The Bank also renewed its commitment to the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) by helping build Lupang Pangako, a 37.5-hectare non-contiguous land in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, to soon house former street dwellers served by the CCT Kaibigan Ministry, Inc.
Promoting cultural heritage
Apart from the Bank’s education initiatives, the Bank is passionate about the preservation of culture and arts. In September 2022, the Bank donated 14 sculptures of National Artist Guillermo Tolentino to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila, and this was celebrated with the introduction of the newly renovated Security Bank Hall.
Security Bank and long-time community partner, ArteFino, joined forces anew for the 2022 ArteFino Festival. As part of its yearly collaboration, the Bank provided cardholders with the opportunity to buy goods on installment during the festival, it also supported the Makers Lab Upcycling Design Challenge as part of its sustainability initiatives.
Onward in its sustainability agenda
Security Bank has amped up its #BetterBankingisSustainable agenda and has been in active in promoting this in different fora, such as the Employers Confederation of the Philippines’ (ECOP) 43rd National Conference of Employers and SustainablePH Inc.’s Sustainability UNPLUGGED: The Sustainability Summit, Re-invented.
Recently, Security Bank and ABS-CBN Foundation embarked on a five-year collaborative project to sustain the reforestation efforts of the La Mesa Watershed in Quezon City. The commitment involves the yearly planting of seedlings resulting in a total of 10,000 trees by the end of the project.
The La Mesa Watershed is the largest rainforest in Metro Manila and the region's major source of potable water. The activity involved more than 200 employee volunteers and generated 1,600 volunteer hours. SBFI was also honored to be this year's top private donor for La Mesa Watershed reforestation.
“At Security Bank, we are determined to build a society that values sustainability and the protection of our natural resources to ensure the future of the coming generations. Through this landmark project with the La Mesa Watershed and the ABS-CBN Foundation, we are one step closer in fulfilling the reforestation target set for La Mesa,” Nikki Lizares, Sustainability head at Security Bank, says.
Through all these initiatives, Security Bank ensures every action it makes contributes to its mission to enrich lives, empower businesses, and build communities sustainably.
To know more about Security Bank and its CSR initiatives, visit www.securitybank.com/sustainability or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SecurityBank.