Speech
of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
At the 13th Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility
[Delivered at Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Makati City, on September 3, 2014]
Allow me to begin by saying that I am
indeed very happy to be with you tonight, for two reasons. The first: as
some of you might know, my first job—which was not that long ago—was
with the Philippine Business for Social Progress. The PBSP started in
1970—I was not a founding employee at that time of course—with 50
business leaders who made a rather unusual pledge: to give 1% of their
gross profits towards funding activities that now fall under the title
of “corporate social responsibility” (CSR). In effect: they pooled
resources to fund development efforts at a grassroots level. Working for
the PBSP made concrete the lessons that my parents, the Church, and my
university had taught me: that we must be men or women for others,
especially for those on the margins.
The second reason is that these kinds of
events show me that much has changed for the better throughout the
years. In the older days, a manufacturing facility probably just
considered only the desired inventory, input and output levels,
production schedules, among other similar factors of production. In the
older days, profit was the end-all and be-all, and businesses could view
their responsibilities in isolation from the community. At best, this
was a singular, and coldly practical motivation. At worst, it was
myopic, with businesses acting as if they operated in a world where
their actions did not affect other sectors—believing that they were
contributing to society by concentrating entirely on the bottom line.
Today, the paradigm shift is clear. That
same manufacturing facility now thinks of how to minimize its
environmental impact; how to minimize waste, and by so doing, preserve
the sustainability of source materials; and how to preserve and enhance
their relations with the immediate community.
When I see corporations focused on
social responsibility, I see kindred spirits who, like me, have to
tackle issues in their multifaceted forms and complications—who realize
that, indeed, no man is an island. After all, your continued growth
cannot happen when the environment that allowed you to embark on this
business venture is left by the wayside. Your continued profit cannot
happen when you manufacture products that are increasingly out of the
reach or relevance of your workers.
Here, today, we are honoring a number of
institutions that are helping to redefine the concept of “business.”
For all of you, corporate responsibility is good business; your
shareholders include your employees, consumers, and now, the members of
the communities in which you operate: thus redefining value not only in
terms of profit, but also in terms of the empowerment of others.
For instance, we have the Jollibee Foods
Corporation, or JFC, from the Philippines, recognized for two unique
programs. Through the Busog, Lusog, Talino School Feeding Program, the
JFC has worked with partners in both the public and private sectors to
provide lunch for undernourished students in kindergarten, and in the
first and second grades. The effects are clear: more than 80% of
beneficiaries have reached a Normal Body Mass Index, and absenteeism has
been reduced. There is also their Farmer Entrepreneurship Program,
which aims to support the livelihood of Filipino farmers by linking them
to the supply chain of institutional markets such as Jollibee. To date,
they have helped more than 900 farmers nationwide not only to be more
productive, but also to have access to a broader market.
Next, we have Unilever Indonesia, which
has worked to promote the health and well-being of millions of young
Indonesians, through their School Program—an Integrated Health Hygiene
Promotion. Your program brings together the fundamentals of a
sustainably healthy lifestyle through simple practices, such as washing
hands with soap, drinking safe water, and eating a nutritious breakfast,
among others.
We also have the Dow Chemical for
Sustainable Industry program of Dow Chemical Thailand, which has the
goal of institutionalizing sustainable and environmentally responsible
industry standards and practices for key sectors. They did this by
developing and applying Lean Management principles that focus on the
production of goods with maximum efficiency, minimum cost, and a minimal
impact on the environment. By coming up with a manual that contains
standards and solutions for sustainable organization improvement, they
are helping personnel all over Thailand to perform their duties more
effectively.
Of course, we cannot forget the Tribal
Development through Cooperative Movement program of the Valsad District
Cooperative Milk Producer in India. Credit, training, and infrastructure
support are provided to tribes, especially to women, in response to the
need to produce more quality milk. This does not only address the
problem of supply; it also gives the women dignified and meaningful
livelihood that allow them to meet the needs of their children without
the need to migrate for work.
Finally, there is the Magsaysay Maritime
Corporation, which has worked to address the needs of seafarers, from
training and scholarship programs focused on improving skills, to
employee benefits that foster financial and educational security, and
even to the extent of providing SIM cards enabling seafarers to keep in
touch with their families at discounted rates.
Diverse though they may be, all of our
awardees today are proof of the fact that the growth of companies and of
private industry cannot be divorced from the growth of the communities
you find yourselves in. This is only common sense. Now that we have the
benefit of hindsight, we have to wonder: why was this not a common truth
or an accepted idea in the dawn of big business?
After all, in working towards
sustainable livelihood, responsible business practices, and employee
welfare, you are ensuring a stronger consumer base for your products and
services. In investing in the people, you are displaying a strong
commitment to the belief that progress must be inclusive, that economic
growth, and consequently, the growth of businesses, relies first and
foremost on the empowerment of the people. What does social
responsibility mean, after all, if not dealing with your fellow men in a
correct and upright manner? Doing so leads to greater stability, which
is necessary for the continued growth of your companies. This, in turn,
requires an even greater immersion and even greater stakes to be held in
the community. This is the virtuous cycle of corporate social
responsibility, with businesses and the citizenry helping each other
thrive.
These events never fail to inspire
me—and I hope that they have the same, if not a greater effect on you
and even your peers.Through your work, you have already shown that the
simplest ideas can bring about the most profound transformations.
To those who have not yet seen the
wisdom of the CSR movement: it is certainly a choice that is left to
your discretion, but those of you who are truly worthy of leadership
will know that it is not only the right thing to do, but also and more
importantly the imperative for each one of us.
Thank you. Good evening.
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