Metrobank redefines heroes in purple hearts

"You don’t have to die to be a hero. At Metrobank, heroes are those that give of themselves unselfishly from the ranks of our volunteer employees. These volunteers give their time and resources–without any expected return–for whatever emergencies or outreach projects that the Purple Hearts Club gets into. "

This apt description of the modern-day hero was made by Vivian Tiu, executive vice president (in charge of Human Resources Management Group) of Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. which in February 2003 created the Purple Hearts Club (PHC)–the volunteer group of the Metrobankers Foundation– the bank’s corporate social responsibility arm.

The Metrobankers Foundation (founded in November 1994) is composed of bank employees while the Metrobank Foundation (founded in 1979) first served as a philanthropic arm of Metrobank founder George S.K Ty and later became the venue for excellence in various fields outside the bank.

"Our use of Purple Hearts is to define that our volunteers do not get any special remuneration or reward in any form but they give their time and spend their own money to do outreach program for communities and people that need their help," Tiu said.

PHC now has 38 chapters (15 of them in Metro Manila, five of which are in the head office in Makati City) all over the country with 2,496 regular members (or 31 percent of the 8,048 employees of Metrobank and its 561 branches all over the country), Tiu said.

Through the Metrobankers Foundation, children of bank employees and even the employees themselves can avail of scholarships (for high school or college for the children) and for further education (for the employees) provided they meet the grade requirement, said Rowena Judith Cruz, head of the CSR unit of Metrobank’s HRMG.

PHC also works within the four themes set forth by the Metrobank Foundation in coming up with their CSR programs namely: arts, education, health and environment, Tiu said.

Though there is no limit to the member size of each chapter, they should not go beyond 100 members because then it becomes difficult to manage, Cruz said.

PHC recently turned over its Kalinga Luzon project, a day care center cum classroom (for 40 to 60 children) in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija to the Gawad Kalinga Foundation, another group of multi denominational participants. The center and classroom were built by PHC volunteers from Metro Manila and Luzon, who went to the site every weekend to construct it.

PHC adopted as its own the Earth Day recyclables project of Metrobank Foundation, where PHC volunteers bring used newspapers and sell these to junk dealers with the proceeds going to other volunteer activities of their chapters. Another is the Dugong Metrobank, annual blood letting activity of PHC that was started by the Metrobank Foundation, Cruz said.

The first real project of PHC is the tutorial program–began in July 2005– for school children of Tondo, which is being undertaken in partnership with Don Bosco Tondo. Here the PHC volunteers teach indigent children on reading and math every weekends to help them get new skills and learning. "The PHC chapters or Metrobankers Foundation members are not allowed to make solicitation letters to sponsors but I allow them to be creative in getting the materials they need for their respective projects," Tiu said.