From cars to houses: Toyota builds a housing project in Sta. Rosa

MANILA, Philippines - According to Charles Dickens, one of the greatest English novelists of the Victorian era, “Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.” Therefore a house turned into a home is more than just a man’s castle, it is a life-changing asset – especially to the homeless.

And defining “home” in the best Dickensian tradition, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), through its social and humanitarian arm, Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation (TMPF), and in partnership with the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Community Development Foundation and the city government of Sta. Rosa, will be changing a lot of lives as it puts to reality the construction of an envisioned 158 socialized housing units for deserving beneficiaries from Barangays Pulong Sta. Cruz and Malitlit, of the City of Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

“There is no opportune time than this year as Toyota is celebrating its tenth consecutive triple crown, a Philippine automotive industry extraordinary feat which brought us to be No.1 in passenger cars, No.1 in commercial vehicles and No.1 in overall sales,” said TMP president Michinobu Sugata. “We are looking forward to complete this village by the last quarter of 2013, when we shall celebrate Toyota’s 25th year in the Philippines,” he proudly asserted.

The project area is located in Barangay Pulong Sta. Cruz, Sta. Rosa, and covers a total of 8,000 square meters of land, of which 5,000 square meters has been allocated for housing, and 3,000 square meters for the development of a common area where a community center, school, park and multi-purpose hall will be constructed. A generous donation of P20 million was forwarded by TMP to actualize the project as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility efforts.

“Toyota will not only be funding this project, but we will also be directly involved in the construction of the housing units by engaging our Toyota team members, suppliers, dealers and affiliates in rendering voluntary work to this project,” pointed out Mr. Sugata.

Now dubbed as the Toyota City of Santa Rosa-GK Village Project, this company initiative for community development further strengthens TMP’s advocacy for empowering its immediate community, thereby creating a multiplier effect in the local economy of Sta. Rosa. It is also aligned with the National Government’s thrust in promoting public-private partnerships in order to encourage progress.

Other CSR initiatives of TMP are the six-year Philippine Peñablanca Sustainable Reforestation Project (PPSRP) in Peñablanca, Cagayan; the construction of the GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center (GT-TACC) in UP Diliman’s Asian Center; and its several scholarship programs.