More on the auto industry’s CSR initiatives

Things have been crazy lately.  I know I promised to come up with a second part of this year’s SPMJ Driven to Serve Awards, but because I missed one column (due largely to overlapping events), I missed out on Part Two of the CSR awards last week. My apologies to our readers, but here it is.

In Part One, I wrote about the Platinum awardees in the recent SPMJ Driven to Serve Awards which recognizes the outstanding CSR programs in the automotive industry.  These are Operation Better World (Ford Philippines) ; Tree Planting with Haribon Foundation program (Honda Cars Philippines); and Driving Skills for Life (Ford).

Now for the Gold awardees. Under Community Development, the Gold Award went to Toyota Motor Philippines for their Medical & Dental Outreach Program and Hyundai Philippines for their Rainwater Harvesting System, and Volkswagen for their Child Safety Initiative .

Now on its 6th year, Toyota’s Adopt-A-Forest project is in the Makiling Botanical Gardens in Los Banos, Laguna, a 10-hectare property with a three-hectare palm garden with 14 species of 1,000 palm trees. The Toyota Foundation has also reforested four hectares of this forest with 26 species and 6,140 seedlings. With regular tree-planting activities participated in by Toyota and Metrobank employees and dealers, scholars and students from adopted schools in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, the adopted forest has raised awareness and appreciation for Philippine forest plants.

Toyota’s Outreach Program also won the nod of this year’s judges for the Gold Award for Community Development. Specifically directed at communities where the company’s facilities are located, the program (which spans 26 years) provides free consultations/ medicines and assistance to patients in need of secondary/ tertiary treatment with partner Makati Medical Center. Their health program includes comprehensive medical services, lab services, and a Toyota Mobile Clinic that serves as an ambulance. The program continues to inspire the company’s employees, dealers, and other companies and medical organizations to volunteer their time and effort for the program.

Because of Hyundai’s Rainwater Harvesting System, rainwater in Tanay, Rizal now provides clean water to residents. This system developed in Seoul National University involves a filtration method that produces and stores potable water from rain water gathered in roof gutters. One thousand families residing in Barangay Tandang Kutyo in Tanay are happy with the clean water source stored in tanks within the Rawang Elementary School in the barangay. Hyundai sustains the program with regular monitoring and through seminars on maintenance of the system and hygiene education with members of the municipal government, NGOs, and the students of the school. Hyundai aims to replicate the system in other parts of the country.

Volkswagen believes road accidents are preventable by educating parents and children about the dangers on the road and use of passive safety devices in passenger vehicles like safety seats/seat belts. Volkswagen conducts road safety seminars and lately, an app offering a course on pedestrian road safety.

For the Silver awardees, in education and training, four CSR programs shared the honors:  Mazda for their partnership with the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) for Motorsports Development Program; Toyota for their Pasiglahin ang Estudyanteng Pinoy (PEP) Feeding Program; Honda for their 1M Blue Eco-safe Driving Campaign; and Isuzu for their Isuzu-Jacobo Gonzales Memorial School Knowledge Sharing Partnership in Binan, Laguna.  Because Isuzu’s CSR program focuses primarily on knowledge sharing, the company has donated three Isuzu diesel engines to be used by the trainers for school demonstration and parts detailing under the tutelage of IPC’s trained staff members.  Isuzu not only trains the trainers but also the students here taking TESDA Automotive Servicing Courses.

Honda’s 1’M Blue Campaign’s goal is to have a million drivers who will commit to practice eco-safe driving in the country.  In partnership with 12 other organizations, that include government agencies, Honda utilizes social media, videos, driving training seminars, and clean fleet management in the company’s efforts to address road accidents, air pollution, and energy concerns.

Toyota’s PEP feeding program addresses hunger and malnutrition and the beneficiary school is Pulong Sta. Cruz Elementary School in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The Toyota Foundation provides daily hot meals and milk to 60 severely malnourished children from Kinder to Grade 3 for six months of the school year. The program has since expanded its reach to include grades 4-6 students every year.

For Bermaz Auto Philippines, exclusive distributor of Mazda, they have chosen to educate the youth on the proper way to drive as their CSR project. With AAP, they aim to impart high-level driving skills to the youth using five brand new Mazda 2 Skyactive hatchbacks. The Motorsports Development Program is the answer to 16-19 year olds aiming to enter the field of motorsports under the tutelage of veteran rally champion Vip Isada who conducts nine-module training sessions, lectures, and practical driving exercises.

Under Community Development, awardees Lexus-Manila  (Donation to Children’s Hour Campaign) and Mitsubishi (Promoting Reading Literacy) share Silver honors. A convoy of Mitsubishi Montero Sports carry books and the reading habit to children around the country in partnership with The Center for Art. Mitsubishi VP Froy Dytianquin led the convoy to conduct a story-telling book-giving  session to students from Montalban, Rizal as part of their literacy project aside from its art workshop in partnership with National Artist BenCab and Fernando Sena. Lexus, for their part, supports the Children’s Hour by using special occasions to raise funds for the program. Lexus greets customers with a card which carries a corresponding amount donated by Lexus to the NGO whose projects include scholarships, school kits, and feeding programs.

Under environment, Isuzu is the sole silver awardee for the Tree-Planting at Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve.  IPC adopted a 13-hectare forest 8 years ago and on the first year alone, they planted 13 species of 300 trees and constructed a 1.3 kilometer walkway for visitors and forest rangers.  New trees are added every year with the help of volunteer IPC employees and friends, inspiring more and more people to appreciate the lush forest and preserve the environment.

And last, but not least, among the silver awardees is Honda (One Honda Road Safety) whose program includes schools and industrial parks in Sto. Tomas, Batangas and Sta. Rosa, Laguna. They aim to educate the public on safe and responsible road usage, promote vehicle safety technology through actual experience and collaboration with other sectors of society through refresher programs, trainings/learning sessions and the 10-year old Honda Safety Driving Center with its test drive tracks and driving lessons that provides training even for heavy-duty trucks and vans.

Kudos to all the winners.  May you inspire others to emulate your fine example of sharing and caring.

Mabuhay!!!  Be proud to be a Filipino.

For comments & inquiries (email) [email protected]