Giving back the Kapuso way

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been ingrained in the culture of GMA Network, and is a clear manifestation of its mandate of Serbisyong Totoo and its purpose “to enrich the lives of Filipinos everywhere.” 

This is especially true in the way the network carries out its corporate philanthropy through its socio-civic arms, GMA Kapuso Foundation and Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko, as well as through programs that espouse the importance of caring for the environment and upholding the value of education and volunteerism.

“Having a persona has become the trend in today’s businesses,” said GMA Network AVP for Corporate Affairs, Teresa Pacis. “This is where CSR comes in, and it’s no different in the network as we also try to personify Serbisyong Totoo. So aside from the projects of the foundation and Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko, we also do corporate programs that allow us to reach out in various ways to stakeholders,” she added.

Volunteerism is one of the many ways that the network encourages philanthropy within the internal community, while serving as an avenue to provide its employees with the opportunity to grow outside their respective areas of expertise. Through GMA’s corps of employee-volunteers, GMA G.I.V.E.S. (which stands for Guide, Interact, Volunteer, Educate, Serve), GMA employees and artists work together to inspire positive change. “We are one community. If we get volunteers to work side by side with artists, it levels the playing field because it sends the message that a Kapuso goes beyond being an artista or a volunteer,” Pacis shared.

She also takes pride in the fact that, through the CSR program, Kapuso artists are not only able to showcase their talents, but actually channel them in a productive and socially relevant way. “We want the program to be a contributor to strengthening the equity of the Kapuso brand. And also, to add that distinction as far as being a Kapuso artist is concerned,” she continued.

Recently, the multi-talented Solenn Heussaff shared her artistic gifts with less-fortunate children in a painting workshop for GMA G.I.V.E.S.’ second quarter Salu-Salo Together, the group’s quarterly bonding activity wherein members get together to learn new things or conduct simple outreach activities.  

Solenn taught a total of 64 kids how to paint on canvas using acrylic paint and oil pastel. She was assisted by the GMA G.I.V.E.S. members, who also donated money to provide the kids with necessary art materials for the workshop. Volunteers with artistic capabilities likewise lent a hand in teaching art to the students.

What started out in 2006 with a mere call for volunteers to help in a tree-planting activity in Quezon province, GMA G.I.V.E.S. is now almost 100 people strong and with a growing roster of successful projects to its name.

Earlier this year, the team led GMA’s annual bloodletting drive in coordination with GMAKF and Red Cross. They also participated in the Daang Tubo Clean Up project as part of the Clean River Zone Biochar Community Project, a program that uses Bokashi balls (containing biochar) to reduce pollution at the Diliman Creek and its minor tributaries.

Apart from these, members of the network’s employee-volunteer group also regularly keep themselves busy with outreach programs, painting and school-building projects, among other activities that allow them to do good and give back to the community.

Similarly, education is another focus area of GMA’s CSR as exemplified in the GMA Network Scholarship Program and the GMA Network Excellence Award. Known for his passion for education, Primetime King Dingdong Dantes joined this year’s panel of judges for the GMA Network Excellence Award, bringing with him his years of experience in the entertainment industry.

In addition to these projects, the network also holds the Speakers Bureau, which taps select GMA personalities and executives who can share their wealth of knowledge and experience in media through seminars, conferences and the like.

“We try to think out of the box,” said Pacis of GMA’s own brand of CSR. “The beauty of our CSR is that we are not tied to just one program. We can grow it in different directions depending on the current situation, what the current strengths are and what is available to us. We just have to keep our eyes open.”

The Kapuso lady executive expressed that they are now building towards a point where CSR is becoming integral to how the network is being operated as a business. “Ultimately, as we make the program stronger, the participation of the network as an entity will be stronger also,” she enthused.

And as GMA moves towards this direction, the public can trust that everyone in the network – whether they be on- or off-cam — will continue to work hand in hand in true Kapuso fashion.