PBSP showcases successful corporate-community tie-ups

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), recently launched its booklet showcasing stories of corporate-community partnerships and hoping to encourage more companies to replicate projects and bring about inclusive growth through business and livelihood programs.

During the organization’s 25th Visayas Annual Membership Meeting last Wednesday, PBSP formally introduced its booklet entitled “KaleidoSCOPE” that features stories of mutually-beneficial partnerships from the Strategic Corporate-Community Partnership for Local Development Program (SCOPE) in the Philippines.

SCOPE is a business friendly approach to social, economic and environmental development that was jointly implemented by PBSP and GIZ in 2004.

It supports Philippine-based companies to engage communities and marginalized groups in income-generating activities and employment opportunities that are related to companies’ core businesses.

Stakeholders of the said partnership considered SCOPE as a platform of a win-win situation for both companies and communities doing business together through the value chain approach.

Through this strategy, the program identifies the company’s supply demands along the value chain then recognizes a particular community who will become its partner as a market-responsive supplier.

It takes on a development framework that distinguishes opportunities for sustainable business models for livelihood development.

Stories that are featured in the booklet include industry players from areas in creative design, furniture exports, banking, welding, farming, delicacies, crafting, agriculture, fishing, baking, forestation, and waste management.

Meanwhile, the support of the European Union through the Linking Initiatives for Collaborative Coastal Resource Management and Governance (LINC CRMG) project was also recognized during the 25th VAMM program.

The LINC CRMG is a program that runs for two years in building up the capacity of a community to conserve and develop coastal resources, food security and livelihood.

It has already been established in coastal communities in Cebu, Bohol,Guimaras, Southern Leyte and Western Samar.

In his report, PBSP Visayas Executive Committee Board of Trustee and Chairman Jose Antonio Aboitiz cited the strengths of the organization in terms of size and scale, accountability and credibility, and effectiveness and impact.

For 48 years in corporate citizenship, he said that its growing number of 246 member companies, business leaders and development partners enabled PBSP to reach and help more communities and rural areas in response to the distinct needs of its stakeholders.

He added that it has established strategic partnerships to consolidate efforts from the public and private sectors to achieve sustainable development and inclusive growth.

PBSP’s Platforms for Collective Engagements (PlaCEs) scales up individual initiatives through collective impact strategies focused on four critical clusters such as health, education, environment, and livelihood.

In addition to its existing members, PBSP also recognized its new member companies which include ADventure, Amarela in Panglao, Bohol, Mr. Yu Finance Corporation and PTMI.

This year, PBSP Visayas celebrates its 25th anniversary of good corporate citizenship and social development.

PBSP is the largest business-led social development organization in the country that is dedicated to poverty reduction in the Philippines.  (FREEMAN)