Corporate social responsibility

As the on-going political scene continue to forebode a dark and depressing future for our country and people who have been constantly but vainly hoping for much needed reforms in governance, it is much better indeed to focus more on the positive happenings in our country.

One of the truly heartening developments in our society now is the concern for the welfare and interest of our people especially the poor shown by some of the richest families here who own  several giant corporations that practically control and hold about 90 percent of our country’s wealth and resources.

Notable among these conglomerates is ABS-CBN, the largest media network in the country owned by the Lopez family. With a firm and intense sense of corporate social responsibility, ABS-CBN has embark on projects and programs that cater to the material, physical and educational needs of the less fortunate in our country.

Since the late ’80s or early ’90s ABS-CBN has already been engaged in promoting the welfare and protecting the rights of the helpless and the weak in our society particularly the children and the women. It launched the Bantay-Bata program to prevent child abuse, improve their health and assist in their proper upbringing. It has also some on-going activities and programs providing assistance to neglected women and those who are victims of mental and physical abuse.

Also very noticeable is the company’s unrelenting and immediate response to natural disasters almost regularly hitting our country. It has well-organized solicitation and distribution of relief goods to victims of calamities. This project has indeed provided a more efficient and well-oiled vehicle for the other sectors of our society who also want to help the victims of natural and even man-made catastrophes regularly occurring in this part of the world. 

More remarkable in this regard is that ABS-CBN and its sister corporations have also organized programs to prevent the frequent and more devastating occurrence of disasters by helping preserve our environment and clean our ecological surroundings. Thus it has programs for tree planting and cleansing of our waterways. Most notable here is the improvement and beautification of the Pasig River and its surroundings.

At present this admirable media conglomerate has also established continuing assistance program for our less fortunate through its “Tulong Kapamilya” Foundation. This Foundation has even put up a “Tulong Center” at the ABS-CBN compound to assist the deprived and the needy regarding their problems in life. Now, the center also provides legal assistance to those who may have problems involving their rights and obligations under the law.

Another corporation with a remarkable corporate social responsibility is the Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company (Metrobank). Its founder, Dr. George S.K. Ty has already established the Metrobank Foundation Inc. (MBFI) barely 16 years after he founded Metrobank to serve as the corporate social responsibility arm of the Metrobank Group. The MBFI implements various programs in education, visual arts and healthcare and maintains an active and dynamic partnership with other organizations likewise providing services for the underprivileged sectors of society. It is also equally responsive to emergency and relief operations for affected Filipinos in times of natural calamities in the Philippines and in Asia.

Among MBFI’s flagship programs are the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE), Search for Outstanding Teachers (SOT), The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS), Country’s Outstanding Police Officers in Service (COPS), Search for Journalists of the Year (JOY), Metrogold Scholarship Program (MSP), and Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge (MMC).  MBFI also spearheads the celebration of the National Teachers’ Month (NTM) held from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5 of every year since 2008.

The MBFI Search for Outstanding Teachers promotes a culture of excellence in the teaching profession by recognizing the country’s exemplary educators who exhibit competence, remarkable dedication to their work, effective educational leadership and involvement in their communities. The search is open to all Filipino teachers with at least 10 years of teaching experience in the elementary, high school, college or university levels. School heads and principals may nominate one each for high school and college, and two for elementary.

The SOT is open to all teachers in the elementary, secondary, and higher education levels in both public and private schools throughout the country. Nominees should be Filipino citizens who are actively teaching in the country in the last 10 years and with valid PRC license.

Interested applicants may now access the online nomination form or Basic Information Sheet (BIS) through www.facebook.com/mbfi.sot. They may also send the hard copy of the accomplished nomination form to the nearest Metrobank branch in their area. No additional documents are needed during the first stage of the competition. Only eligible nominees will be required and notified to submit duly-accomplished nomination forms.

For the Elementary competition, schools are entitled to nominate two teachers, one each from the primary (Kinder to Grade III) and intermediate (Grade IV to Grade VI), while schools for secondary and higher education competition are entitled to one nominee, respectively. Past regional finalists and national finalists of the search, who meet the basic eligibility requirements and have shown sustained good moral standing in the community, are deemed automatic provincial finalists.

The 10 outstanding educators will receive a cash prize of P500,000. The awardees will also receive a medal, a trophy, and a plaque of recognition for their school. National finalists will receive P20,000 cash while regional finalists will get P10,000 cash incentive.

For the 2016 SOT the deadline for submission of nominations has been extended to Feb. 14. For further details, please call the MBFI Secretariat at tel. nos. (02) 8570618/8988898; telefax: (02) 8185656/7500837; or e-mail: [email protected].

MBFI also implements the Fellowships for International Understanding Program in partnership with selected international organizations and diplomatic missions. It likewise supports programs aimed at educating the citizenry on public-interest issues through research and lectures given by the distinguished chair holders of the Metrobank Foundation Professorial Chair Lectures, established by the Foundation in partnership with reputable educational institutions. MBFI is also the principal owner of the Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH), one of the leading centers of wellness in the country.

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