Groups donate learning materials to children
Sun.Star Cebu
December 17, 2010
Because of donated used batteries, 8,134 pupils in the Visayas will be able to read more books and enhance their knowledge through the mini-libraries they received.
Recently, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) with the help of Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBS) turned over additional learning materials to eight schools in Cebu through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program.
The schools are located in the islands of Olango and Pangan-an in Lapu-Lapu CIty, Mandaue City and in the villages of Cebu City and Balamban town.
Launched in 2006, the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program aims to achieve two results: protect the environment by properly disposing and recycling used lead acid batteries (ULABs), which may potentially poison the soil, and improve the learning of pupils through the proceeds of the donated ULABs with the provision of books, training of teachers and holding of remedial reading camps.
ULABs donated by PLDT were bought by Oriental and Motolite MarketingCorp. at a higher price.
The proceeds are used to fund the establishment of Learning Resource Centers (LRCs), which take in the form of mini-libraries that include a table, chairs, and a bookshelf filled with books and supplementary instructional materials on Math, Science, English, Filipino, Social Studies, and Environment Education.
Through the donated ULABs, PLDT was able to generate PhP 880,000.00, which can fund the establishment of 22 LRCs in the remote areas of the Visayas--eight in Cebu, six in Bohol, and five in Samar.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
8T kids to benefit from telco's book donation
8T kids to benefit from telco's book donation
The Freeman News
December 16, 2010
In a school nestled within a mountainous barangay where fog already reaches the ground, a little girl dreams.
Ehlna Heroela, 12 years old and a grade six pupil of Gaas Elementary School, longs of becoming an English teacher in her own barangay so they can all speak the language that will grant them jobs and make their futures bright. She also knows that in order to reach this dream, she has to read as many books as she can to be able to speak and teach English fluently.
But books other than the textbooks she is sharing with her classmate are a novelty in Gaas. The books are sold kilometers away from her place. Her family cannot afford the books or the fare to get there.
That was why when Evelyn del Rosario, PLDT Community Relations Senior Manager, ushered her and her classmates in one of the rooms in her school, she never expected to be already stepping inside a mini-library with books she can touch and read, bringing her to a step closer to her dreams.
“Karon pa ko sukad nakakita og ing-ani kadaghan na mga libro para namo. Nalipay mi na naa mi aning mga libroha kay naa na mi mabasa-basa ug daghan na pud mi makat-unan,” she said. (“It was my first time to see those many storybooks for us. We’re happy to have these books we can read and learn from.”)
Like Ehlna Heroela, 8,134 pupils in the Visayas will be able to read more books and learn new things from the additional learning materials given to them by PLDT with the help of Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program.
Launched in 2006, the program aims to achieve two results: protect the environment by properly disposing and recycling used lead acid batteries (ULABs) which may potentially poison the soil; and improve the learning of pupils through the proceeds of the ULABs donated with the provision of books, training of teachers and holding of remedial reading camps.
ULABs donated by PLDT were bought by Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation at a higher price and used to fund the establishment of Learning Resource Centers (LRCs), which take the form of mini-libraries that include a table, several chairs and a bookshelf filled with books and supplementary instructional materials on Math, Science, English, Filipino, Social Studies and Environment Education.
“We at PLDT believe that education is the greatest equalizer. When you are educated, you can go far, you can sit with people and discuss things. You have fed your mind. That is why our heart is close to education, on how to enhance the learning of our children especially in the far-flung areas of the country,” del Rosario stressed.
The latest National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report states that the Philippines is one of the lowest performing countries in terms of education. This is attributed to the low competencies of schools in improving the learning of their pupils due to the lack of libraries, books and other instructional materials, and training of new skill sets among teachers.
In schools located within remote coastal and mountain barangays, the situation is even worse.
In Pangan-an Elementary School, located in an islet that takes 30 minutes to an hour to get to by pump boat, teachers have a hard time explaining to their pupils what an encyclopedia is because they could not show them an example of it.
“Sometimes we have to wait for months before receiving the textbooks for our pupils. Even if we want to buy more books, we still could not afford them. We rarely receive assistance from other groups because most of them are afraid to cross the seas to get here,” said Marilou Pacilan, prinicipal of Pangan-an Elementary School.
But through the ULABs donated by PLDT, which generated PhP 880,000.00, the company was able to help 22 schools in the remote areas of the Visayas—eight in Cebu, three in Iloilo, six in Bohol and five in Samar.
“Pupils and students from the cities have more access to learning and education. The very reason why PLDT, Motolite and PBSP chose these places is because these are very remote areas and have least access to learning materials,” del Rosario added.
This December, PLDT was able to turn over eight LRCs to schools in Cebu. It is set to turn over the remaining LRCs to the other schools by next year from January to March.
The Freeman News
December 16, 2010
In a school nestled within a mountainous barangay where fog already reaches the ground, a little girl dreams.
Ehlna Heroela, 12 years old and a grade six pupil of Gaas Elementary School, longs of becoming an English teacher in her own barangay so they can all speak the language that will grant them jobs and make their futures bright. She also knows that in order to reach this dream, she has to read as many books as she can to be able to speak and teach English fluently.
But books other than the textbooks she is sharing with her classmate are a novelty in Gaas. The books are sold kilometers away from her place. Her family cannot afford the books or the fare to get there.
That was why when Evelyn del Rosario, PLDT Community Relations Senior Manager, ushered her and her classmates in one of the rooms in her school, she never expected to be already stepping inside a mini-library with books she can touch and read, bringing her to a step closer to her dreams.
“Karon pa ko sukad nakakita og ing-ani kadaghan na mga libro para namo. Nalipay mi na naa mi aning mga libroha kay naa na mi mabasa-basa ug daghan na pud mi makat-unan,” she said. (“It was my first time to see those many storybooks for us. We’re happy to have these books we can read and learn from.”)
Like Ehlna Heroela, 8,134 pupils in the Visayas will be able to read more books and learn new things from the additional learning materials given to them by PLDT with the help of Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program.
Launched in 2006, the program aims to achieve two results: protect the environment by properly disposing and recycling used lead acid batteries (ULABs) which may potentially poison the soil; and improve the learning of pupils through the proceeds of the ULABs donated with the provision of books, training of teachers and holding of remedial reading camps.
ULABs donated by PLDT were bought by Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation at a higher price and used to fund the establishment of Learning Resource Centers (LRCs), which take the form of mini-libraries that include a table, several chairs and a bookshelf filled with books and supplementary instructional materials on Math, Science, English, Filipino, Social Studies and Environment Education.
“We at PLDT believe that education is the greatest equalizer. When you are educated, you can go far, you can sit with people and discuss things. You have fed your mind. That is why our heart is close to education, on how to enhance the learning of our children especially in the far-flung areas of the country,” del Rosario stressed.
The latest National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report states that the Philippines is one of the lowest performing countries in terms of education. This is attributed to the low competencies of schools in improving the learning of their pupils due to the lack of libraries, books and other instructional materials, and training of new skill sets among teachers.
In schools located within remote coastal and mountain barangays, the situation is even worse.
In Pangan-an Elementary School, located in an islet that takes 30 minutes to an hour to get to by pump boat, teachers have a hard time explaining to their pupils what an encyclopedia is because they could not show them an example of it.
“Sometimes we have to wait for months before receiving the textbooks for our pupils. Even if we want to buy more books, we still could not afford them. We rarely receive assistance from other groups because most of them are afraid to cross the seas to get here,” said Marilou Pacilan, prinicipal of Pangan-an Elementary School.
But through the ULABs donated by PLDT, which generated PhP 880,000.00, the company was able to help 22 schools in the remote areas of the Visayas—eight in Cebu, three in Iloilo, six in Bohol and five in Samar.
“Pupils and students from the cities have more access to learning and education. The very reason why PLDT, Motolite and PBSP chose these places is because these are very remote areas and have least access to learning materials,” del Rosario added.
This December, PLDT was able to turn over eight LRCs to schools in Cebu. It is set to turn over the remaining LRCs to the other schools by next year from January to March.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A full stomach and a cleaner physique
A full stomach and a cleaner physique
Children from Babag, Lapu-Lapu City
receive Christmas wellness gifts
Children from Babag, Lapu-Lapu City
receive Christmas wellness gifts
Most children from Babag, Lapu-Lapu City have never received a Christmas gift from anyone.
Having been identified by the city government as the barangay with the highest population of malnourished children, Babag presents a landscape of survival and poverty. In this barangay, struggling families have, sadly, become a common occurrence. With their meager income, parents could not afford to give their children their basic needs, let alone a few luxuries—like Christmas gifts.
“Even these children do not have the luxury of drinking milk and juice,” Olive Jabido, PBSP Senior Program Officer for the Visayas said.
Having been identified by the city government as the barangay with the highest population of malnourished children, Babag presents a landscape of survival and poverty. In this barangay, struggling families have, sadly, become a common occurrence. With their meager income, parents could not afford to give their children their basic needs, let alone a few luxuries—like Christmas gifts.
“Even these children do not have the luxury of drinking milk and juice,” Olive Jabido, PBSP Senior Program Officer for the Visayas said.
This was the state Babag was in when PBSP stepped into the barangay on 2007 to assess what it can do to help. Seeing the need of the community, PBSP began organizing activities for the mothers and children.
Now, 60 children received the best Christmas gift anyone could get: a full stomach and a healthy physique. With the Philippine Business for Social Progress, employees of the PAG-IBIG Fund Employees’ Labor Association held a supplemental feeding program for 60 children in Babag.
Since 2007, PBSP has held regular supplemental feeding programs as well as free medical checkups with the mothers to help improve the health of mothers and children in Babag. Through the feeding program, children aged three to eight years old were treated to a hot and healthy breakfast nutritionally prepared by the Garces Royal Gardens, a member company of PBSP.
Belia Ibales, 44 years old, is one of those who have benefited from the feeding program. A mother of seven children, she admits having difficulty in taking proper care of her children. Her husband, who works as a tricycle driver in the area, earns PhP 100.00 a day, which is not enough to prepare three square meals for her big family.
“Malipayon jud mi ani nga programa kay makatabang gyud ni sa akong mga anak nga kulang og timbang," she added. (“We’re grateful for this feeding program which has helped my underweight children.”)
The supplemental feeding program will continue for three months with the participation of other member companies and groups. Aside from the feeding activity, children also received personal hygiene kits to help improve their cleaning habits.
“Since it's the Christmas season, we want the children to avail of gift packs, which are not the ordinary ones that have toys, goodies and candies. These are loot bags without toys but with soaps, towels, toothbrushes and toothpastes—a hygiene kit—since most, if not all, of these children do not have proper sanitation at home,” Jabido said.
Aside from the feeding program, the PAG-IBIG Fund will also grant for the construction of a potable water system worth PhP 65,000.00 for a community in Cebu.
“Since it's the Christmas season, we want the children to avail of gift packs, which are not the ordinary ones that have toys, goodies and candies. These are loot bags without toys but with soaps, towels, toothbrushes and toothpastes—a hygiene kit—since most, if not all, of these children do not have proper sanitation at home,” Jabido said.
Aside from the feeding program, the PAG-IBIG Fund will also grant for the construction of a potable water system worth PhP 65,000.00 for a community in Cebu.
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Balik Baterya beneficiary dreams to become teacher
Balik Baterya beneficiary dreams to become teacher
Cebu Daily News
December 15, 2010
A 12-year-old girl from Balamban town in southwest Cebu dreams of becoming an English teacher someday.
Ehlna Heroela, a grade six pupil of Gaas Elementary School in the mountainous barangay of Balamban, said she wanted to teach English in her own barangay so the students can all speak English, a language that will give them an edge to find employment.
She said she has to read many books to be able to fulfill her dream.
Evelyn del Rosario, community relations senior manager of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), ushered her and her classmates in a mini-library in her school.
“Karon pa ko sukad nakakita og ing-ani kadaghan na mga libro. Nalipay mi nga naa mi aning mga libroha kay naa na mi mabasa-basa ug daghan na pud mi makat-unan (This is my first time to see these many storybooks. We’re happy to have these books that we can read and learn from),” Heroela said.
Heroela is among the 8,134 pupils in the Visayas who will benefit from the books and additional learning materials given to them by PLDT with the help of Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program.
The used lead acid batteries (ULABs) donated by PLDT were bought by Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation at a higher price and the proceeds were used to fund the establishment of learning resource centers (LRCs), which take the form of mini-libraries that include a table, chairs and a bookshelf filled with books and supplementary instructional materials on math, science, English, Filipino, social studies and environment education.
“We at PLDT believe that education is the greatest equalizer. When you are educated, you can go far, sit with people and discuss things. That is why our heart is close to education, enhancing the learning of the children, especially those in the far-flung areas of the country,” del Rosario said.
In Pangan-an Elementary School in an island barangay of Pangan-an in Lapu-Lapu City, teachers have a hard time explaining to their pupils what an encyclopedia is.
“Sometimes we have to wait for months before receiving the textbooks for our pupils. Even if we want to buy more books, we still could not afford them. We rarely receive assistance from other groups because most of them are afraid to cross the seas to get here,” said Marilou Pacilan, prinicipal of Pangan-an Elementary School.
But through the ULABs donated by PLDT, which generated P880,000, the company was able to help 22 schools in the remote areas of the Visayas — eight in Cebu, three in Iloilo, six in Bohol and five in Samar.
This December, PLDT turned over eight LRCs to schools in Cebu. It is set to turn over the remaining LRCs to the other schools in Iloilo, Bohol and Samar next year from January to March.
“We know that these learning materials will enhance the learning of our children. We will make sure that these books will be put into use,” Gaas Elementary School principal Vivian Restauro said.
PBSP hopes that LRCs will lessen the number of dropouts in schools.
“We will carry the goodness of PLDT, Motolite and PBSP and we hope that the corporate social responsibility imbibed by these groups will inspire other corporations to do the same to benefit more schools,” said Aliena Quimque, principal of Cabancalan I Elementary School.
Launched in 2006, the program aims to protect the environment through proper disposal and recycling of ULABs as well as improve the learning of pupils.
“What makes this project special is that the funds used for the LRCs are not taken from the income of the companies, but from used batteries donated by companies, which are then bought by Motolite for proper disposal and recycle,” PBSP Senior Program Manager Olive Jabido said.
Cebu Daily News
December 15, 2010
A 12-year-old girl from Balamban town in southwest Cebu dreams of becoming an English teacher someday.
Ehlna Heroela, a grade six pupil of Gaas Elementary School in the mountainous barangay of Balamban, said she wanted to teach English in her own barangay so the students can all speak English, a language that will give them an edge to find employment.
She said she has to read many books to be able to fulfill her dream.
Evelyn del Rosario, community relations senior manager of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), ushered her and her classmates in a mini-library in her school.
“Karon pa ko sukad nakakita og ing-ani kadaghan na mga libro. Nalipay mi nga naa mi aning mga libroha kay naa na mi mabasa-basa ug daghan na pud mi makat-unan (This is my first time to see these many storybooks. We’re happy to have these books that we can read and learn from),” Heroela said.
Heroela is among the 8,134 pupils in the Visayas who will benefit from the books and additional learning materials given to them by PLDT with the help of Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program.
The used lead acid batteries (ULABs) donated by PLDT were bought by Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation at a higher price and the proceeds were used to fund the establishment of learning resource centers (LRCs), which take the form of mini-libraries that include a table, chairs and a bookshelf filled with books and supplementary instructional materials on math, science, English, Filipino, social studies and environment education.
“We at PLDT believe that education is the greatest equalizer. When you are educated, you can go far, sit with people and discuss things. That is why our heart is close to education, enhancing the learning of the children, especially those in the far-flung areas of the country,” del Rosario said.
In Pangan-an Elementary School in an island barangay of Pangan-an in Lapu-Lapu City, teachers have a hard time explaining to their pupils what an encyclopedia is.
“Sometimes we have to wait for months before receiving the textbooks for our pupils. Even if we want to buy more books, we still could not afford them. We rarely receive assistance from other groups because most of them are afraid to cross the seas to get here,” said Marilou Pacilan, prinicipal of Pangan-an Elementary School.
But through the ULABs donated by PLDT, which generated P880,000, the company was able to help 22 schools in the remote areas of the Visayas — eight in Cebu, three in Iloilo, six in Bohol and five in Samar.
This December, PLDT turned over eight LRCs to schools in Cebu. It is set to turn over the remaining LRCs to the other schools in Iloilo, Bohol and Samar next year from January to March.
“We know that these learning materials will enhance the learning of our children. We will make sure that these books will be put into use,” Gaas Elementary School principal Vivian Restauro said.
PBSP hopes that LRCs will lessen the number of dropouts in schools.
“We will carry the goodness of PLDT, Motolite and PBSP and we hope that the corporate social responsibility imbibed by these groups will inspire other corporations to do the same to benefit more schools,” said Aliena Quimque, principal of Cabancalan I Elementary School.
Launched in 2006, the program aims to protect the environment through proper disposal and recycling of ULABs as well as improve the learning of pupils.
“What makes this project special is that the funds used for the LRCs are not taken from the income of the companies, but from used batteries donated by companies, which are then bought by Motolite for proper disposal and recycle,” PBSP Senior Program Manager Olive Jabido said.
Friday, December 10, 2010
More books beyond the mountains and seas
More books beyond the mountains and seas
PLDT turns over 2860 books to 8134 pupils
through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program
Ehlna Heroela, 12 years old and a grade six pupil of Gaas Elementary School, longs of becoming an English teacher in her own barangay so they can all speak the language that will grant them jobs and make their futures bright. She also knows that in order to reach this dream, she has to read as many books as she can to be able to speak and teach English fluently.
But books other than the textbooks she is sharing with her classmate are a novelty in Gaas. The books are sold kilometers away from her place. Her family cannot afford the books or the fare to get there.
That was why when Evelyn del Rosario, PLDT Community Relations Senior Manager, ushered her and her classmates in one of the rooms in her school, she never expected to be already stepping inside a mini-library with books she can touch and read, bringing her to a step closer to her dreams.
“Karon pa ko sukad nakakita og ing-ani kadaghan na mga libro para namo. Nalipay mi na naa mi aning mga libroha kay naa na mi mabasa-basa ug daghan na pud mi makat-unan,” she said. (“It was my first time to see those many storybooks for us. We’re happy to have these books we can read and learn from.”)
Like Ehlna Heroela, 8,134 pupils in the Visayas will be able to read more books and learn new things from the additional learning materials given to them by PLDT with the help of Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program.
Launched in 2006, the program aims to achieve two results: protect the environment by properly disposing and recycling of used lead acid batteries (ULABs) which may potentially poison the soil; and improve the learning of pupils through the proceeds of the ULABs donated with the provision of books, training of teachers and holding of remedial reading camps.
ULABs donated by PLDT were bought by Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation at a higher price and used to fund the establishment of Learning Resource Centers (LRCs), which take the form of mini-libraries that include a table, several chairs and a bookshelf filled with books and supplementary instructional materials on Math, Science, English, Filipino, Social Studies and Environment Education.
Each Learning Resource Center is worth PhP 40,000.00, which needed approximately 170 ULABs to generate such amount.
“We at PLDT believe that education is the greatest equalizer. When you are educated, you can go far, you can sit with people and discuss things. You have fed your mind. That is why our heart is close to education, on how to enhance the learning of our children especially in the far-flung areas of the country,” del Rosario stressed.
Bridging gaps made by the education low. The latest National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report states that the Philippines is one of the lowest performing countries in terms of education. This is attributed to the low competencies of schools in improving the learning of their children due to the lack of libraries, books and other instructional materials, and training of new skill sets among teachers.
In schools located within remote coastal and mountain barangays, the situation is even worse.
In Pangan-an Elementary School, located in an islet that takes 30 minutes to an hour to get to by pump boat, teachers have a hard time explaining to their pupils what an encyclopedia is because they could not show them an example of it.
“Sometimes we have to wait for months before receiving the textbooks for our pupils. Even if we want to buy more books, we still could not afford them. We rarely receive assistance from other groups because most of them are afraid to cross the seas to get here,” said Marilou Pacilan, principal of Pangan-an Elementary School.
But through the ULABs donated by PLDT, which generated PhP 880,000.00, the company was able to help 22 schools in the remote areas of the Visayas—eight in Cebu, three in Iloilo, six in Bohol and five in Samar.
“Pupils and students from the cities have more access to learning and education. The very reason why PLDT, Motolite and PBSP chose these places is because these are very remote areas and have least access to learning materials,” del Rosario added.
This December, PLDT was able to turn over eight LRCs to schools in Cebu. It is set to turn over the remaining LRCs to the other schools by next year from January to March.
“With these materials, we know that they will enhance the learning skills of our children. We will make sure that these books will really be used by children and not just get stored in any space,” Gaas Elementary School principal Vivian Restauro said.
PBSP hopes that by making use of the LRCs, the schools will have a lesser number dropouts and enhance their learning competencies as expressed in their mean percentage scores.
“With this partnership, we will be able to fire the children up to learn more, to learn better and to soar to greater heights in education,” del Rosario added.
Corporate social responsibility. For PLDT, the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program is not just another education initiative—it is the company's commitment to provide more sustainable projects as its expression of corporate social responsibility.
“We will carry the goodness of PLDT, Motolite and PBSP and we hope that other corporations will do the same. We only hope that the corporate social responsibility imbibed by these groups will inspire other corporations so more schools will also benefit from this kind of commitment,” said Aliena Quimque, principal of Cabancalan I Elementary School.
“What makes this project special is that the funds used for the LRCs do not come from fresh monies—they do not directly come from the income of the companies. These funds all came from the used batteries donated by companies, which are then bought by Motolite so they would be properly disposed and recycled,” PBSP Senior Program Manager Olive Jabido stated.
PLDT makes sure that in the following years more ULABs will be donated for the Balik-Baterya Program so that more children, even separated by mountains and seas, can freely dream their dreams.
PLDT turns over 2860 books to 8134 pupils
through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program
In a school nestled within a mountainous barangay where fog already reaches the ground, a little girl dreams.
Ehlna Heroela, 12 years old and a grade six pupil of Gaas Elementary School, longs of becoming an English teacher in her own barangay so they can all speak the language that will grant them jobs and make their futures bright. She also knows that in order to reach this dream, she has to read as many books as she can to be able to speak and teach English fluently. But books other than the textbooks she is sharing with her classmate are a novelty in Gaas. The books are sold kilometers away from her place. Her family cannot afford the books or the fare to get there.
That was why when Evelyn del Rosario, PLDT Community Relations Senior Manager, ushered her and her classmates in one of the rooms in her school, she never expected to be already stepping inside a mini-library with books she can touch and read, bringing her to a step closer to her dreams.
“Karon pa ko sukad nakakita og ing-ani kadaghan na mga libro para namo. Nalipay mi na naa mi aning mga libroha kay naa na mi mabasa-basa ug daghan na pud mi makat-unan,” she said. (“It was my first time to see those many storybooks for us. We’re happy to have these books we can read and learn from.”)
Like Ehlna Heroela, 8,134 pupils in the Visayas will be able to read more books and learn new things from the additional learning materials given to them by PLDT with the help of Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program.
Launched in 2006, the program aims to achieve two results: protect the environment by properly disposing and recycling of used lead acid batteries (ULABs) which may potentially poison the soil; and improve the learning of pupils through the proceeds of the ULABs donated with the provision of books, training of teachers and holding of remedial reading camps.ULABs donated by PLDT were bought by Oriental and Motolite Marketing Corporation at a higher price and used to fund the establishment of Learning Resource Centers (LRCs), which take the form of mini-libraries that include a table, several chairs and a bookshelf filled with books and supplementary instructional materials on Math, Science, English, Filipino, Social Studies and Environment Education.
Each Learning Resource Center is worth PhP 40,000.00, which needed approximately 170 ULABs to generate such amount.
“We at PLDT believe that education is the greatest equalizer. When you are educated, you can go far, you can sit with people and discuss things. You have fed your mind. That is why our heart is close to education, on how to enhance the learning of our children especially in the far-flung areas of the country,” del Rosario stressed.
Bridging gaps made by the education low. The latest National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report states that the Philippines is one of the lowest performing countries in terms of education. This is attributed to the low competencies of schools in improving the learning of their children due to the lack of libraries, books and other instructional materials, and training of new skill sets among teachers.
In schools located within remote coastal and mountain barangays, the situation is even worse.
In Pangan-an Elementary School, located in an islet that takes 30 minutes to an hour to get to by pump boat, teachers have a hard time explaining to their pupils what an encyclopedia is because they could not show them an example of it.
“Sometimes we have to wait for months before receiving the textbooks for our pupils. Even if we want to buy more books, we still could not afford them. We rarely receive assistance from other groups because most of them are afraid to cross the seas to get here,” said Marilou Pacilan, principal of Pangan-an Elementary School.
But through the ULABs donated by PLDT, which generated PhP 880,000.00, the company was able to help 22 schools in the remote areas of the Visayas—eight in Cebu, three in Iloilo, six in Bohol and five in Samar.“Pupils and students from the cities have more access to learning and education. The very reason why PLDT, Motolite and PBSP chose these places is because these are very remote areas and have least access to learning materials,” del Rosario added.
This December, PLDT was able to turn over eight LRCs to schools in Cebu. It is set to turn over the remaining LRCs to the other schools by next year from January to March.
“With these materials, we know that they will enhance the learning skills of our children. We will make sure that these books will really be used by children and not just get stored in any space,” Gaas Elementary School principal Vivian Restauro said.
PBSP hopes that by making use of the LRCs, the schools will have a lesser number dropouts and enhance their learning competencies as expressed in their mean percentage scores.
“With this partnership, we will be able to fire the children up to learn more, to learn better and to soar to greater heights in education,” del Rosario added.
Corporate social responsibility. For PLDT, the Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program is not just another education initiative—it is the company's commitment to provide more sustainable projects as its expression of corporate social responsibility.
“We will carry the goodness of PLDT, Motolite and PBSP and we hope that other corporations will do the same. We only hope that the corporate social responsibility imbibed by these groups will inspire other corporations so more schools will also benefit from this kind of commitment,” said Aliena Quimque, principal of Cabancalan I Elementary School.
“What makes this project special is that the funds used for the LRCs do not come from fresh monies—they do not directly come from the income of the companies. These funds all came from the used batteries donated by companies, which are then bought by Motolite so they would be properly disposed and recycled,” PBSP Senior Program Manager Olive Jabido stated.
PLDT makes sure that in the following years more ULABs will be donated for the Balik-Baterya Program so that more children, even separated by mountains and seas, can freely dream their dreams.
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Friday, November 26, 2010
Center for treatment of drug-resistant TB to rise in Koronadal City
Center for treatment of drug-resistant TB to rise in Koronadal City
by Dani Doguiles
PIA News Agency
November, 26, 2010
Koronadal City (26 November) -- Residents of Region 12 who are suffering from multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) will soon get free services with the establishment of a regional treatment center for the disease in Koronadal City.
Koronadal City Mayor Peter B. Miguel recently announced that a memorandum of agreement between the local government, Department of Health (DOH), National Lung Center, and the private non-profit foundation Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) for the creation of a Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Center in the city has been signed.
The MDR treatment center will effectively hasten the management and control of the increasing number of multi-drug resistant TB cases in the region at much lesser expense on the part of the patients and their families.
Based on the MOA, the city government is only required to provide five medical staff who will run the facility and the building that will house the center as its counterpart in the partnership. Partner agencies will provide the equipment and machineries, training of the personnel, as well as drugs and medicines for the treatment.
After five years, the full operation of the TB treatment center will be turned over to the city government.
"At present, patients with multi-drug resistant TB are treated in Metro Manila but the National Lung Center cannot accommodate all the patients. For people in the city and the neighboring cities and provinces suffering from TB, to avail of such treatment is very expensive," he said.
Treatment of MDR cases is also more expensive than the treatment of the normal cases of TB.
"Treatments in the TB center will be free of charge," he added.
The TB center will be put up beside the City Health Office.
by Dani Doguiles
PIA News Agency
November, 26, 2010
Koronadal City (26 November) -- Residents of Region 12 who are suffering from multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) will soon get free services with the establishment of a regional treatment center for the disease in Koronadal City.
Koronadal City Mayor Peter B. Miguel recently announced that a memorandum of agreement between the local government, Department of Health (DOH), National Lung Center, and the private non-profit foundation Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) for the creation of a Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Center in the city has been signed.
The MDR treatment center will effectively hasten the management and control of the increasing number of multi-drug resistant TB cases in the region at much lesser expense on the part of the patients and their families.
Based on the MOA, the city government is only required to provide five medical staff who will run the facility and the building that will house the center as its counterpart in the partnership. Partner agencies will provide the equipment and machineries, training of the personnel, as well as drugs and medicines for the treatment.
After five years, the full operation of the TB treatment center will be turned over to the city government.
"At present, patients with multi-drug resistant TB are treated in Metro Manila but the National Lung Center cannot accommodate all the patients. For people in the city and the neighboring cities and provinces suffering from TB, to avail of such treatment is very expensive," he said.
Treatment of MDR cases is also more expensive than the treatment of the normal cases of TB.
"Treatments in the TB center will be free of charge," he added.
The TB center will be put up beside the City Health Office.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Smart engages community, partners in tree planting
Smart engages community, partners in tree planting
Cebu Daily News
November 16, 2010
Raising a child is not the only task that requires a village’s collective efforts.
The saying also holds true for greening one’s locality or area.
This is one of the primary reasons Smart Communications Inc. took time to engage local community and partners in its tree planting program.
In each of its tree planting sites in the country, Smart taps a local partner to draw support for reforestation efforts.
“We involve the community in our reforestation efforts. It makes easier for us to get them to commit to the care and maintenance of the seedlings we planted,” said Smart Public Affairs Group head Ramon Isberto.
In Cebu, Smart, together with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) employee-volunteers and the Philippine Business for Social Progress already planted 33,500 mangrove propagules and endemic trees in its adopted areas in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City and Bojo, Aloguinsan in southwest Cebu.
Smart has also been conducting tree planting activities in Tagbilaran City, Bohol; Dumaguete, Negros Oriental; Bacolod, Negros Occidental; Cagayan de Oro; and Lugait in Misamis Oriental.
Smart’s planting activities this year have resulted in the planting of close to 180,000 seedlings and mangrove propagules through the combined efforts of 1,558 community and employee-volunteers.
This year also marks the third year of the three-year tree planting agreement forged in 2008 between PLDT, Smart, the PLDT-Smart Foundation and Japan’s leading mobile telecommunications company NTT DOCOMO Inc.
Smart’s tree planting activities are part of the company’s corporate social responsibility and community service program Kabalikat.
Cebu Daily News
November 16, 2010
Raising a child is not the only task that requires a village’s collective efforts.
The saying also holds true for greening one’s locality or area.
This is one of the primary reasons Smart Communications Inc. took time to engage local community and partners in its tree planting program.
In each of its tree planting sites in the country, Smart taps a local partner to draw support for reforestation efforts.
“We involve the community in our reforestation efforts. It makes easier for us to get them to commit to the care and maintenance of the seedlings we planted,” said Smart Public Affairs Group head Ramon Isberto.
In Cebu, Smart, together with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) employee-volunteers and the Philippine Business for Social Progress already planted 33,500 mangrove propagules and endemic trees in its adopted areas in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City and Bojo, Aloguinsan in southwest Cebu.
Smart has also been conducting tree planting activities in Tagbilaran City, Bohol; Dumaguete, Negros Oriental; Bacolod, Negros Occidental; Cagayan de Oro; and Lugait in Misamis Oriental.
Smart’s planting activities this year have resulted in the planting of close to 180,000 seedlings and mangrove propagules through the combined efforts of 1,558 community and employee-volunteers.
This year also marks the third year of the three-year tree planting agreement forged in 2008 between PLDT, Smart, the PLDT-Smart Foundation and Japan’s leading mobile telecommunications company NTT DOCOMO Inc.
Smart’s tree planting activities are part of the company’s corporate social responsibility and community service program Kabalikat.
World-class Cebu exporter trains youths for employment
World-class Cebu exporter trains youths for employment
By Malou Mozo
Manila Bulletin
November 14, 2010
CEBU CITY, Philippines - An internationally acclaimed Cebuano furniture designer and exporter has announced that it has recently tapped out-of-school-youths as additional manpower in an effort to provide them with employment opportunities.
Kenneth Cobonpue, through his company, Interior Crafts of the Island Inc., and in coordination with Filo D' Oro Upholstery Subcontractor Development, has commissioned at least 10 out-of-school-youths, aged 16 to 24 years old, to produce his firm's upholstery requirements, the latest orders being those placed by RugNets owned by international fashion design icon, Giorgio Armani.
This special subcontracting system undertaken by Cobonpue is supported by the German Development Service (DED) in cooperation with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the specified Strategic Corporate-Community Partnership (SCOPE).
At present, said 10 out-of-school-youths are housed at the Filo D' Oro mini-manufacturing center located in the property on which stands Cobonpue's ancestral house in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
The youths are taught how to sew and do customized upholstery required by Cobonpue's clients comprised of a number of name personalities around the world.
According to Eleoterio Bravo, Officer-in-Charge of Cobonpue's Filo D' Oro facility, the youths are endorsed by partner religious organizations, like Focolare and the ''Bukas Palad'' religious community.
By Malou Mozo
Manila Bulletin
November 14, 2010
CEBU CITY, Philippines - An internationally acclaimed Cebuano furniture designer and exporter has announced that it has recently tapped out-of-school-youths as additional manpower in an effort to provide them with employment opportunities.
Kenneth Cobonpue, through his company, Interior Crafts of the Island Inc., and in coordination with Filo D' Oro Upholstery Subcontractor Development, has commissioned at least 10 out-of-school-youths, aged 16 to 24 years old, to produce his firm's upholstery requirements, the latest orders being those placed by RugNets owned by international fashion design icon, Giorgio Armani.
This special subcontracting system undertaken by Cobonpue is supported by the German Development Service (DED) in cooperation with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the specified Strategic Corporate-Community Partnership (SCOPE).
At present, said 10 out-of-school-youths are housed at the Filo D' Oro mini-manufacturing center located in the property on which stands Cobonpue's ancestral house in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
The youths are taught how to sew and do customized upholstery required by Cobonpue's clients comprised of a number of name personalities around the world.
According to Eleoterio Bravo, Officer-in-Charge of Cobonpue's Filo D' Oro facility, the youths are endorsed by partner religious organizations, like Focolare and the ''Bukas Palad'' religious community.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
BiD challenges MSMEs to grace NGO trade fair
BiD challenges MSMEs to grace NGO trade fair
By Mitchel Confesor
PIA News Agency
November 13, 2010
Manila (13 November) -- Entrepreneurs are all set to converge next week at a mall trade fair showcasing products and other initiatives of non-government organizations (NGOs) as the centerpiece of the national commemoration of Social Development Week in the country.
Among their unique and enterprising innovations are virgin coconut oil liniments and scalp-care items from fruit and vegetable skincare extracts, organically grown corn coffee products, organic rice and muscovado sugar foodstuffs, costume jewelry sets from indigenous and synthetic materials, and handmade crafts by former migrant workers to Japan and former prison inmates.
In a statement, the corporate-led social development foundation Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) said these entrepreneurs will display their products and innovations at the NGO Trade Fair to be held at the Trinoma Mall in northern Quezon City from November 15-18.
PBSP said some of these entrepreneurs are previous top Philippine participants of the Dutch-organized Business in Development (BiD) Challenge, including one Filipino entrepreneur who won the women in retail award in the Netherlands in the 2009 edition of this annual international online business plan competition.
The online competition in the Philippines is spearheaded by PBSP together with Citibank in the Philippines and the Citi Foundation in New York, the Dutch group BiD Network Foundation, and United Way.
With the aim of developing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help spur economic activities in the country, PBSP earlier invited individuals with innovative business ideas to take the BiD Challenge and get the rare chance to compete with international entries from Africa to Latin America.
The PBSP-Citibank BiD Challenge Philippines 2010 aims to promote poverty reduction through enterprise development, with the aim of generating new and innovative business ideas combining poverty reduction and profit where viable ideas are being matched with potential investors.
Entrepreneurs also get exposure to a network of investors, experts, and business partners, receiving professional feedback and assistance from business coaches, plus a chance to win prize money, PBSP said.
The competition further aims to stimulate and support business ideas that combine making profit with the improvement of living standards in the country, as well as stimulate private sector development in the country by creating a platform where entrepreneurs, experts, networks, and investors can meet.
Baycrafts, which won in the category of women in business retail challenge in 2009, has produced and sold costume jewelry made from pearls, wood, fiber, seeds, crystals, and glass, with a complete line of jewelry including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair ornaments, rings, and anklets, among others. (PBSP)
By Mitchel Confesor
PIA News Agency
November 13, 2010
Manila (13 November) -- Entrepreneurs are all set to converge next week at a mall trade fair showcasing products and other initiatives of non-government organizations (NGOs) as the centerpiece of the national commemoration of Social Development Week in the country.
Among their unique and enterprising innovations are virgin coconut oil liniments and scalp-care items from fruit and vegetable skincare extracts, organically grown corn coffee products, organic rice and muscovado sugar foodstuffs, costume jewelry sets from indigenous and synthetic materials, and handmade crafts by former migrant workers to Japan and former prison inmates.
In a statement, the corporate-led social development foundation Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) said these entrepreneurs will display their products and innovations at the NGO Trade Fair to be held at the Trinoma Mall in northern Quezon City from November 15-18.
PBSP said some of these entrepreneurs are previous top Philippine participants of the Dutch-organized Business in Development (BiD) Challenge, including one Filipino entrepreneur who won the women in retail award in the Netherlands in the 2009 edition of this annual international online business plan competition.
The online competition in the Philippines is spearheaded by PBSP together with Citibank in the Philippines and the Citi Foundation in New York, the Dutch group BiD Network Foundation, and United Way.
With the aim of developing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help spur economic activities in the country, PBSP earlier invited individuals with innovative business ideas to take the BiD Challenge and get the rare chance to compete with international entries from Africa to Latin America.
The PBSP-Citibank BiD Challenge Philippines 2010 aims to promote poverty reduction through enterprise development, with the aim of generating new and innovative business ideas combining poverty reduction and profit where viable ideas are being matched with potential investors.
Entrepreneurs also get exposure to a network of investors, experts, and business partners, receiving professional feedback and assistance from business coaches, plus a chance to win prize money, PBSP said.
The competition further aims to stimulate and support business ideas that combine making profit with the improvement of living standards in the country, as well as stimulate private sector development in the country by creating a platform where entrepreneurs, experts, networks, and investors can meet.
Baycrafts, which won in the category of women in business retail challenge in 2009, has produced and sold costume jewelry made from pearls, wood, fiber, seeds, crystals, and glass, with a complete line of jewelry including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair ornaments, rings, and anklets, among others. (PBSP)
Smart training may produce online ambassadors
Smart training may produce online ambassadors
Cebu Daily News
November 13, 2010
The province of Guimaras in Western Visayas may get a boost in its effort to become the preferred tourism destination, now that 90 teachers and students from 22 public schools in the province have the skills to promote the island online.
Smart Communications Inc., in partnership with Petron Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress, recently conducted a content generation and Web development training to encourage online content generation under its Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA) project.
The five-day training held at the Central Philippine University in Iloilo City also drew representatives from the Department of Education Guimaras division.
Participants were given lectures and exercises on research methods, writing for the Web, image editing, photo journalism, blogging, fundamentals of Web design, websites and web servers, website development, publishing and uploading website.
At the end of the training, the 22 schools and the DepEd Guimaras division office were able to upload their websites hosted by Smart for free.
The participating seven public elementary schools and 15 public high schools have become Smart Schools Program online associates and can now join any of the three contests under DPSA.
These contests include the DPSA Learning Challenge, “Ano ang Kwento Mo? (What’s your story?)” and DPSA Quest.
The DPSA Learning Challenge draws on high school teams from SSP partners to perform basic community mapping exercises to generate local content that will help educate their respective communities and/or address pertinent local problems or issues.
“Ano ang Kwento Mo?” is open to all private and public high school students nationwide. It requires student teams, headed by a teacher coach, to create video blogs that feature a distinct characteristic, place or culture in their communities. Teams are then asked to upload their videos.
The DPSA Quest engages grade school SSP partners and online associates to research unique stories about their respective communities and narrate these stories through their blog sites.
Cash prizes and items are in store for the winners of the three competitions. Details can be accessed through www.doonposaamin.ph.
Cebu Daily News
November 13, 2010
The province of Guimaras in Western Visayas may get a boost in its effort to become the preferred tourism destination, now that 90 teachers and students from 22 public schools in the province have the skills to promote the island online.
Smart Communications Inc., in partnership with Petron Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress, recently conducted a content generation and Web development training to encourage online content generation under its Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA) project.
The five-day training held at the Central Philippine University in Iloilo City also drew representatives from the Department of Education Guimaras division.
Participants were given lectures and exercises on research methods, writing for the Web, image editing, photo journalism, blogging, fundamentals of Web design, websites and web servers, website development, publishing and uploading website.
At the end of the training, the 22 schools and the DepEd Guimaras division office were able to upload their websites hosted by Smart for free.
The participating seven public elementary schools and 15 public high schools have become Smart Schools Program online associates and can now join any of the three contests under DPSA.
These contests include the DPSA Learning Challenge, “Ano ang Kwento Mo? (What’s your story?)” and DPSA Quest.
The DPSA Learning Challenge draws on high school teams from SSP partners to perform basic community mapping exercises to generate local content that will help educate their respective communities and/or address pertinent local problems or issues.
“Ano ang Kwento Mo?” is open to all private and public high school students nationwide. It requires student teams, headed by a teacher coach, to create video blogs that feature a distinct characteristic, place or culture in their communities. Teams are then asked to upload their videos.
The DPSA Quest engages grade school SSP partners and online associates to research unique stories about their respective communities and narrate these stories through their blog sites.
Cash prizes and items are in store for the winners of the three competitions. Details can be accessed through www.doonposaamin.ph.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Loggers cut trees in Tabunan forest
Loggers cut trees in Tabunan forest
By Candeze R. Mongaya
Cebu Daily News
October 30, 2010
Proof of illegal logging was discovered the other day in the Tabunan pocket forest in Cebu City, part of a reforestation area.
Nicitas Bores, 52, a caretaker, found two native trees of lawaan and nato cut down during a roving inspection.
Both trees were premium hardwood species valued as lumber with a commercial value of over P16,000. A third tree was damaged, apparently from the impact of the fall of the two trees.
Bores, who works for the Kantipla Ecosystem Enhancement Program (Keep) Foundation, made the discovery during his weekly check of the reforestation area in sitio Kantipla, a popular site for treeplanting by volunteers in Cebu City.
Barangay Tabunan, a government timberland area, is part of the 49,000-hectare Central Cebu Protected Landscape – a source of Metro Cebu’s water supply.
Ariel Rica, CCPL supervisor of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said that a chainsaw with a silencer was probably used to cut the trees so that the logging wasn't noticed by residents a kilometer away.
The two cut trees were large enough for two adults to encircle the trunk with their arms. The three trees measured 5,612 board feet.
Bores said he suspected that the trees were cut Tuesday night.
“We don’t know who did this,” Bores told CEBU DAILY NEWS.
Ma. Flordeliza Rosales, a forester of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), said that some local farmers are converting part of the forest into farmland and that newly planted tree seedlings were sometimes ruined.
“Once, I saw them bring in students who tilled the lot with them. The trees we planted were damaged and had no chance of surviving.”
Members of the Farmers Development Center (Fardec) through Estrella Catarata, executive director denied any involvment in logging.
“We want to preserve and protect our forest. But we should also respect the rights of the farmer to till,” she said.
Catarata said workers of Keep Foundation want 75 farmers residing in the area to leave.
Keep Foundation chaired by retired general Tiburcio Fusilero is tasked to reforest and maintain 503 hectares in barangay Tabunan and surrounding areas but friction with some residents has led to confrotations in recent years.
Keep Foundation signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR in 2001 to maintain the area.
By Candeze R. Mongaya
Cebu Daily News
October 30, 2010
Proof of illegal logging was discovered the other day in the Tabunan pocket forest in Cebu City, part of a reforestation area.
Nicitas Bores, 52, a caretaker, found two native trees of lawaan and nato cut down during a roving inspection.
Both trees were premium hardwood species valued as lumber with a commercial value of over P16,000. A third tree was damaged, apparently from the impact of the fall of the two trees.
Bores, who works for the Kantipla Ecosystem Enhancement Program (Keep) Foundation, made the discovery during his weekly check of the reforestation area in sitio Kantipla, a popular site for treeplanting by volunteers in Cebu City.
Barangay Tabunan, a government timberland area, is part of the 49,000-hectare Central Cebu Protected Landscape – a source of Metro Cebu’s water supply.
Ariel Rica, CCPL supervisor of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said that a chainsaw with a silencer was probably used to cut the trees so that the logging wasn't noticed by residents a kilometer away.
The two cut trees were large enough for two adults to encircle the trunk with their arms. The three trees measured 5,612 board feet.
Bores said he suspected that the trees were cut Tuesday night.
“We don’t know who did this,” Bores told CEBU DAILY NEWS.
Ma. Flordeliza Rosales, a forester of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), said that some local farmers are converting part of the forest into farmland and that newly planted tree seedlings were sometimes ruined.
“Once, I saw them bring in students who tilled the lot with them. The trees we planted were damaged and had no chance of surviving.”
Members of the Farmers Development Center (Fardec) through Estrella Catarata, executive director denied any involvment in logging.
“We want to preserve and protect our forest. But we should also respect the rights of the farmer to till,” she said.
Catarata said workers of Keep Foundation want 75 farmers residing in the area to leave.
Keep Foundation chaired by retired general Tiburcio Fusilero is tasked to reforest and maintain 503 hectares in barangay Tabunan and surrounding areas but friction with some residents has led to confrotations in recent years.
Keep Foundation signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR in 2001 to maintain the area.
CDO partners with PBSP for urban poverty reduction
CDO partners with PBSP for urban poverty reduction
The Philippine Star
November 4, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Food manufacturer CDO-Foodsphere Inc. has teamed up with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a non-profit corporate foundation established by prominent businessmen led by PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan, for a supplemental feeding program to save indigent children out of malnutrition in a pilot site in northern Metro Manila.
Odyssey Foundation and PBSP joined hands in implementing the Almusalang Bayan: Supplemental Feeding Program in a densely populated poor community in Catmon, Malabon City.
Odyssey is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of CDO-Foodsphere.
Under the program supported by CDO-Foodsphere and pharmaceutical firm United Laboratories Inc., some 150 underweight children from the project site underwent a 64-day supplemental feeding that highlighted the importance of breakfast.
The children received free breakfast as well as vitamin supplements needed to nurse them back to health.
Several nutrition and scientific studies have tagged breakfast as the most important meal of the day, as it provides the necessary nutrients the body needs for physical and mental growth and development.
The program, which is in line with the Strategic Private Sector Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction (STEP-UP) campaign of PBSP, has resulted in the improved nutritional condition of the 150 young beneficiaries.
It involved partnership building, baseline data gathering, training, actual feeding, and monitoring and assessment. The 150 beneficiaries aged five and below, completed the program last Aug. 12.
STEP-UP is being implemented by PBSP in 14 cities in Metro Manila to improve the quality of life of over 13,000 households.
Odyssey Foundation said it partnered with PBSP in response to Pangilinan’s call on the private sector to “contribute to reducing the extent and misery or urban poverty” in the country.
Odyssey Foundation said the partnership with PBSP for the supplemental feeding program is a significant step toward getting the private sector involved in addressing the serious problem of malnutrition in the Philippines.
Data from the government’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) show that between 2005 and 2008, the proportion of Filipino children aged zero to five who were underweight increased from 24.6 percent to 26.2 percent.
At the same time, the percentage of underheight children aged below five went up from 26.3 percent to 27.9 percent during the three-year period.
In actual number, this translates to 3.3 million Filipino children who were underweight and 3.5 million children who were underheight.
“In every 100 pre-school children, 26 were underweight, 28 were underheight and six were thin,” according to the results of the 2008 National Nutrition Survey.
The Philippine Star
November 4, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Food manufacturer CDO-Foodsphere Inc. has teamed up with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a non-profit corporate foundation established by prominent businessmen led by PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan, for a supplemental feeding program to save indigent children out of malnutrition in a pilot site in northern Metro Manila.
Odyssey Foundation and PBSP joined hands in implementing the Almusalang Bayan: Supplemental Feeding Program in a densely populated poor community in Catmon, Malabon City.
Odyssey is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of CDO-Foodsphere.
Under the program supported by CDO-Foodsphere and pharmaceutical firm United Laboratories Inc., some 150 underweight children from the project site underwent a 64-day supplemental feeding that highlighted the importance of breakfast.
The children received free breakfast as well as vitamin supplements needed to nurse them back to health.
Several nutrition and scientific studies have tagged breakfast as the most important meal of the day, as it provides the necessary nutrients the body needs for physical and mental growth and development.
The program, which is in line with the Strategic Private Sector Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction (STEP-UP) campaign of PBSP, has resulted in the improved nutritional condition of the 150 young beneficiaries.
It involved partnership building, baseline data gathering, training, actual feeding, and monitoring and assessment. The 150 beneficiaries aged five and below, completed the program last Aug. 12.
STEP-UP is being implemented by PBSP in 14 cities in Metro Manila to improve the quality of life of over 13,000 households.
Odyssey Foundation said it partnered with PBSP in response to Pangilinan’s call on the private sector to “contribute to reducing the extent and misery or urban poverty” in the country.
Odyssey Foundation said the partnership with PBSP for the supplemental feeding program is a significant step toward getting the private sector involved in addressing the serious problem of malnutrition in the Philippines.
Data from the government’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) show that between 2005 and 2008, the proportion of Filipino children aged zero to five who were underweight increased from 24.6 percent to 26.2 percent.
At the same time, the percentage of underheight children aged below five went up from 26.3 percent to 27.9 percent during the three-year period.
In actual number, this translates to 3.3 million Filipino children who were underweight and 3.5 million children who were underheight.
“In every 100 pre-school children, 26 were underweight, 28 were underheight and six were thin,” according to the results of the 2008 National Nutrition Survey.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Smart training may produce Guimaras online ambassadors
Smart training may produce Guimaras online ambassadors
Sun.Star Iloilo
November 2, 2010
The island province of Guimaras in Western Visayas, which enjoys a reputation of producing the sweetest mangoes in the world, may get a boost in its efforts to become the preferred tourism and investment destination for agriculture, fishery and tourism, now that 90 teachers and students from 22 of its public schools have the skills to promote the island online.
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), in partnership with Petron Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), recently conducted a Content Generation and Web Development training as part of its efforts to encourage online content generation under its Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA) project.
The five-day training held at the Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo, also drew representatives from the Department of Education-Guimaras division office.
Participants were given lectures and exercises on research methods, writing for the Web, image editing, photo journalism, blogging, fundamentals of Web design, websites and web servers, website development, publishing and uploading website and underwent a DPSA workshop.
At the end of the training, the 22 schools and the DepEd Guimaras division office were able to upload their websites via Smart’s free website hosting. The participating seven public elementary schools and 15 public high schools are also now considered SSP online associates, which means they can join any of three competitions under Smart’s DPSA.
DPSA is a four-year content generation project where teachers and students of Smart Schools Program (SSP) partner schools are encouraged to use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to generate and share web-based information and educational materials about their respective communities.
The project includes teacher trainings, website hosting and web development support, access to learning resources, a sustainable incentive system for participation, and three contests which recognize student groups and school teams which uploaded the richest local content or most unique information on the worldwide web.
These contests include the DPSA Learning Challenge, “Ano ang Kwento Mo? (What’s your story?)” and DPSA Quest.
Now on its third consecutive year, the DPSA Learning Challenge draws on high school teams from SSP partners and online associates to perform basic community mapping exercises to generate local content which will help their respective communities be educated about and/or address pertinent local problems or issues. Final output of the competition is the website designed and developed by the teacher-student team.
"Ano ang Kwento Mo?", which is open to all private and public high school students nationwide, requires student teams, headed by a teacher coach, to create video blogs that feature a distinct characteristic, place, or culture in their communities. Teams are asked to upload their videos in a video hosting site, then create a blog site where the hosted videos will be embedded.
The DPSA Quest engages grade school SSP partners and online associates to research unique stories about their respective communities and narrate these stories online through their blog sites in alignment with the contest theme “Our Community, Our Pride: Rediscovering our Hometown”.
Cash prizes and items are in store for the winners of the three competitions, details of which can be accessed via www.doonposaamin.ph.
With much encouragement from Smart’s DPSA contests, these 22 public schools may very well become Guimaras’ newest online ambassadors as they post stories and images unique to the island province online and enable a global audience to know more about Guimaras.
Smart’s efforts to encourage online content contribution from public school partners are part of its efforts to make the Web relevant to more people under its ‘Internet for All’ advocacy. (PR)
Sun.Star Iloilo
November 2, 2010
The island province of Guimaras in Western Visayas, which enjoys a reputation of producing the sweetest mangoes in the world, may get a boost in its efforts to become the preferred tourism and investment destination for agriculture, fishery and tourism, now that 90 teachers and students from 22 of its public schools have the skills to promote the island online.
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), in partnership with Petron Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), recently conducted a Content Generation and Web Development training as part of its efforts to encourage online content generation under its Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA) project.
The five-day training held at the Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo, also drew representatives from the Department of Education-Guimaras division office.
Participants were given lectures and exercises on research methods, writing for the Web, image editing, photo journalism, blogging, fundamentals of Web design, websites and web servers, website development, publishing and uploading website and underwent a DPSA workshop.
At the end of the training, the 22 schools and the DepEd Guimaras division office were able to upload their websites via Smart’s free website hosting. The participating seven public elementary schools and 15 public high schools are also now considered SSP online associates, which means they can join any of three competitions under Smart’s DPSA.
DPSA is a four-year content generation project where teachers and students of Smart Schools Program (SSP) partner schools are encouraged to use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to generate and share web-based information and educational materials about their respective communities.
The project includes teacher trainings, website hosting and web development support, access to learning resources, a sustainable incentive system for participation, and three contests which recognize student groups and school teams which uploaded the richest local content or most unique information on the worldwide web.
These contests include the DPSA Learning Challenge, “Ano ang Kwento Mo? (What’s your story?)” and DPSA Quest.
Now on its third consecutive year, the DPSA Learning Challenge draws on high school teams from SSP partners and online associates to perform basic community mapping exercises to generate local content which will help their respective communities be educated about and/or address pertinent local problems or issues. Final output of the competition is the website designed and developed by the teacher-student team.
"Ano ang Kwento Mo?", which is open to all private and public high school students nationwide, requires student teams, headed by a teacher coach, to create video blogs that feature a distinct characteristic, place, or culture in their communities. Teams are asked to upload their videos in a video hosting site, then create a blog site where the hosted videos will be embedded.
The DPSA Quest engages grade school SSP partners and online associates to research unique stories about their respective communities and narrate these stories online through their blog sites in alignment with the contest theme “Our Community, Our Pride: Rediscovering our Hometown”.
Cash prizes and items are in store for the winners of the three competitions, details of which can be accessed via www.doonposaamin.ph.
With much encouragement from Smart’s DPSA contests, these 22 public schools may very well become Guimaras’ newest online ambassadors as they post stories and images unique to the island province online and enable a global audience to know more about Guimaras.
Smart’s efforts to encourage online content contribution from public school partners are part of its efforts to make the Web relevant to more people under its ‘Internet for All’ advocacy. (PR)
Friday, October 29, 2010
Christmas Cards by Our Filipino Artists For Sale
The time for Christmas is near!
The next 56 days will welcome us to a festive season of loving and sharing as we anticipate the coming of Christmas this December.
But nothing still compares to celebrating Christmas the Maligayang Pasko way by sending a Christmas card to your loved ones with designs made by our own Filipino artists.
Disclaimer: retail price revealed is for the 2010 sale and is subject to change
We at the Philippine Business for Social Progress will make your Christmas twice as meaningful. By supporting our own Filipino artists and their designs, you are also helping the environment.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Taking the lead to green with Aboitiz Group, PBSP
Taking the lead to green with Aboitiz Group, PBSP
Cebu Daily News
October 27, 2010
Christian Ian Sy did not expect to start a Saturday full of firsts when he joined 554 members of the Aboitiz Group in planting 14,000 tree seedlings along the slopes of the Mananga Watershed and Forest Reserve.
What he did expect, though, was to plant on a plain and empty spot.
“I didn’t expect to plant in an actual forest. But when I came here in Tabunan for the first time, I felt excited and challenged because I finally saw one of Cebu’s forests,” Sy said.
With muddied hands and a satisfied smile, Sy thanked the company for allowing him to participate in the environmental project.
Sy is one of the delegates of the Aboitiz Future Leaders Summit who joined the group-wide reforestation activity of the Aboitiz Group last Oct. 16, along with the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) employees and the Race to Reduce runners.
The reforestation initiative was co-organized by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), which has been reforesting the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL) since 1989.
“Last year, the Aboitiz group made a commitment to plant a million trees. Since then, we've expanded our ambition to roll our intention into a program that would plant three million trees up to 2010,” Aboitiz and Company president and chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz said.
The Aboitiz Group planted a total of 14,000 indigenous seedlings on 8.5 hectares located within the Veco Reforestation Park in Tabunan, Cebu City.
The reforestation project is part of PBSP's efforts to promote social development as an expression of the business sector's corporate social responsibility.
“This is one of the largest endeavors in environmental protection. And we know that we are large enough already that when we lead, others follow. So we are setting an example for others to follow,” PBSP Visayas chairman Jose Antonio Aboitiz said.
PBSP hopes that with more companies taking the lead in the conservation of the CCPL, the issue of water resources, biodiversity and poverty will be easily resolved in the next years.
“When we plant today, we are contributing to the quality of our oxygen and the air that we breathe, and we are guaranteeing some kind of better water supply for us city dwellers who abuse a lot of our resources,” PBSP's Cebu Hillyland Development Committee chairman Eileen Mangubat said.
For this year alone, PBSP garnered the participation of 3,723 volunteers from 99 institutions in reforesting 251.10 hectares. This has been the biggest reforestation caravan PBSP has organized to date.
“The very nice thing about the Cebu watersheds is that they are contiguous and that they are like the heart of the entire island. So consider this place a part of the lungs of the city, and also part of our insurance policy that we do not get typhoon Ondoy effects in Cebu,” Mangubat added.
PBSP's 2011 Cebu Hillylands Reforestation Caravan is scheduled to commence on the third Saturday of June next year.
Cebu Daily News
October 27, 2010
Christian Ian Sy did not expect to start a Saturday full of firsts when he joined 554 members of the Aboitiz Group in planting 14,000 tree seedlings along the slopes of the Mananga Watershed and Forest Reserve.
What he did expect, though, was to plant on a plain and empty spot.
“I didn’t expect to plant in an actual forest. But when I came here in Tabunan for the first time, I felt excited and challenged because I finally saw one of Cebu’s forests,” Sy said.
With muddied hands and a satisfied smile, Sy thanked the company for allowing him to participate in the environmental project.
Sy is one of the delegates of the Aboitiz Future Leaders Summit who joined the group-wide reforestation activity of the Aboitiz Group last Oct. 16, along with the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) employees and the Race to Reduce runners.
The reforestation initiative was co-organized by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), which has been reforesting the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL) since 1989.
“Last year, the Aboitiz group made a commitment to plant a million trees. Since then, we've expanded our ambition to roll our intention into a program that would plant three million trees up to 2010,” Aboitiz and Company president and chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz said.
The Aboitiz Group planted a total of 14,000 indigenous seedlings on 8.5 hectares located within the Veco Reforestation Park in Tabunan, Cebu City.
The reforestation project is part of PBSP's efforts to promote social development as an expression of the business sector's corporate social responsibility.
“This is one of the largest endeavors in environmental protection. And we know that we are large enough already that when we lead, others follow. So we are setting an example for others to follow,” PBSP Visayas chairman Jose Antonio Aboitiz said.
PBSP hopes that with more companies taking the lead in the conservation of the CCPL, the issue of water resources, biodiversity and poverty will be easily resolved in the next years.
“When we plant today, we are contributing to the quality of our oxygen and the air that we breathe, and we are guaranteeing some kind of better water supply for us city dwellers who abuse a lot of our resources,” PBSP's Cebu Hillyland Development Committee chairman Eileen Mangubat said.
For this year alone, PBSP garnered the participation of 3,723 volunteers from 99 institutions in reforesting 251.10 hectares. This has been the biggest reforestation caravan PBSP has organized to date.
“The very nice thing about the Cebu watersheds is that they are contiguous and that they are like the heart of the entire island. So consider this place a part of the lungs of the city, and also part of our insurance policy that we do not get typhoon Ondoy effects in Cebu,” Mangubat added.
PBSP's 2011 Cebu Hillylands Reforestation Caravan is scheduled to commence on the third Saturday of June next year.
Group plants 14T seedlings in watershed
Group plants 14T seedlings in watershed
Sun.Star Cebu
October 27, 2010
Some 554 members of the Aboitiz Group planted 14,000 tree seedlings on the slopes of the Mananga Watershed and Forest Reserve.
"I didn't expect to plant in an actual forest. But when I came here in Tabunan for the first time, I felt excited anc challenged because finally I saw one of Cebu's forests and that this place I'm planting trees on helps protect our watersheds. This facts poses more responsibility to me," said Christian Ian Sy.
With muddied hands and a satisfied smile, Sy thanked the company for allowing him top participate in environment projects.
Sy is one of the delegates of the Aboitiz Future Leaders Summit that joined the group-wode reforestation activity of the Aboitiz Group recenty, along with the Visayan Electric Company employees and the "Race to Reduce" runners.
Commitment
The reforestation initiative was co-organized by the Philippine Business for Social Progress, which has been reforesting the Central Cebu Protected Landscape since 1989.
"Last year, the Aboitiz Group made a commitment to plant a million trees. Since then, we've expanded our ambition to roll our intention into a program that would plant three million trees up to 2010," Aboitiz & Co. president and chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz said.
Sun.Star Cebu
October 27, 2010
Some 554 members of the Aboitiz Group planted 14,000 tree seedlings on the slopes of the Mananga Watershed and Forest Reserve.
"I didn't expect to plant in an actual forest. But when I came here in Tabunan for the first time, I felt excited anc challenged because finally I saw one of Cebu's forests and that this place I'm planting trees on helps protect our watersheds. This facts poses more responsibility to me," said Christian Ian Sy.
With muddied hands and a satisfied smile, Sy thanked the company for allowing him top participate in environment projects.
Sy is one of the delegates of the Aboitiz Future Leaders Summit that joined the group-wode reforestation activity of the Aboitiz Group recenty, along with the Visayan Electric Company employees and the "Race to Reduce" runners.
Commitment
The reforestation initiative was co-organized by the Philippine Business for Social Progress, which has been reforesting the Central Cebu Protected Landscape since 1989.
"Last year, the Aboitiz Group made a commitment to plant a million trees. Since then, we've expanded our ambition to roll our intention into a program that would plant three million trees up to 2010," Aboitiz & Co. president and chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz said.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Veco continues its 1M trees project
Veco continues its 1M trees project
Sun.Star Cebu
October 20, 2010
It was another muddy but rewarding hustle with nature for close to 150 Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) team leaders, members and contractors who trooped to Sitio Sayaw, Brgy. Tabunan, Cebu City to plant 5,000 indigenous tree seedlings.
As part of its promise to plant one million trees in five years, Veco continued its series of tree planting activities in partnership with Philippine Business for Social Progress - Visayas.
The seedlings included narra, hambabalod, tagilomboy and lumbang.
Leading the group were Veco VP for administration and Customer Service Group Ricardo Lacson together with PBSP chairperson Antonio Aboitiz. The tree planting activity is a continuation of the Reforestation Park Project, which kicked off last May 2010 with the planting of 20,000 mangrove propagules. The propagules were planted within the 44-hectare mangrove area at Navforcen base in Barangay Canjulao, Lapu-Lapu City.
The project aims to reforest 540 hectares in Central Cebu Protected Landscape and 10 hectares in Mactan Island within five years. The 540 hectares will be planted with 900,180 native and fruit-bearing, flowering tree species, while the 10 hectares will be home for 100,000 mangroves.
Sun.Star Cebu
October 20, 2010
It was another muddy but rewarding hustle with nature for close to 150 Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) team leaders, members and contractors who trooped to Sitio Sayaw, Brgy. Tabunan, Cebu City to plant 5,000 indigenous tree seedlings.
As part of its promise to plant one million trees in five years, Veco continued its series of tree planting activities in partnership with Philippine Business for Social Progress - Visayas.
The seedlings included narra, hambabalod, tagilomboy and lumbang.
Leading the group were Veco VP for administration and Customer Service Group Ricardo Lacson together with PBSP chairperson Antonio Aboitiz. The tree planting activity is a continuation of the Reforestation Park Project, which kicked off last May 2010 with the planting of 20,000 mangrove propagules. The propagules were planted within the 44-hectare mangrove area at Navforcen base in Barangay Canjulao, Lapu-Lapu City.
The project aims to reforest 540 hectares in Central Cebu Protected Landscape and 10 hectares in Mactan Island within five years. The 540 hectares will be planted with 900,180 native and fruit-bearing, flowering tree species, while the 10 hectares will be home for 100,000 mangroves.
Nestle Phils distributes books for South Cotabato school kids
Nestle Phils distributes books for South Cotabato school kids
By Danny Escabarte
PIA News Agency
October 20, 2010
Butuan City - "Books hasten the learning process. The more we read, the more knowledge we gain and better pupils we become", says Anthony John Bercades, Grade VI student, as he received the books handed to him by Dennis Llovido, Nestle' Philippines AVP for Transport Operation and Connie Deligero, CSR Officer from Ramcar-Motolite, Inc.
With funds generated from used recycled batteries under the Balik-Baterya Program, Nestle' and Motolite purchased textbooks for school children of Teresita Elementary School and Ambalgan Elementary School all of Sto. Niño Town in South Cotabato. Both schools have a total enrolment of 209 and 572 students respectively.
As member company of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), Nestle' and Motolite has been in the forefront of addressing shortage of textbooks among target public schools in Mindanao and other parts of the country as an expression of corporate social responsibility for depressed communities. (PBSP-MRO/PIA-Caraga)
By Danny Escabarte
PIA News Agency
October 20, 2010
Butuan City - "Books hasten the learning process. The more we read, the more knowledge we gain and better pupils we become", says Anthony John Bercades, Grade VI student, as he received the books handed to him by Dennis Llovido, Nestle' Philippines AVP for Transport Operation and Connie Deligero, CSR Officer from Ramcar-Motolite, Inc.
With funds generated from used recycled batteries under the Balik-Baterya Program, Nestle' and Motolite purchased textbooks for school children of Teresita Elementary School and Ambalgan Elementary School all of Sto. Niño Town in South Cotabato. Both schools have a total enrolment of 209 and 572 students respectively.
As member company of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), Nestle' and Motolite has been in the forefront of addressing shortage of textbooks among target public schools in Mindanao and other parts of the country as an expression of corporate social responsibility for depressed communities. (PBSP-MRO/PIA-Caraga)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Foundation spearheads coastal, underwater cleanup in Lapu-Lapu
Foundation spearheads coastal, underwater cleanup in Lapu-Lapu
The Freeman
October 19, 2010
Our Islands Foundation, the non-profit organization of The Islands Group, organized the second "Zero Waste in Seas: An Underwater and coastal cleanup project" last September 17 to 18 in Lapu-Lapu City.
The two-day event, held in celebration of the 2010 International Coastal Cleanup, kicked off with an underwater cleanup at Punta West on the 17th which was participated in by 50 volunteer Scuba divers who collected 30 kilos of marine debris. Plastics are the most common items found, including bags, bottles and food wrappers.
On the second day, more than a hundred volunteers enlisted for the coastal cleanup held at the coastal area of Saac, Brgy. Mactan. They were able to gather 380 kilos of rubbish, from which plastics are still the most common items found.
According to Our Islands Foundaton Executive Director Chai Apale, the yearly activity has a very ambitious name yet the principle behind it is to strongly promote environmental awareness and not just simply get rid of trashes.
For this year's event, The Islands Group has partnered with other environment-conscious organizations such as Ocean Care Advocates Inc., Bigfoot Studios Inc., Cebu Yacht Club, AquaDive and ScubaDen, and sponsored by Thirsty, Worldwide Dive & Sail, Feel Deep, Ipanema, Grendha, Ocean Potion, Rider and the Philippine Business for Social Progress.
All data collected during the cleanup drives are submitted to the Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit organization that started the International Coastal Cleanup in 1985.
The Freeman
October 19, 2010
Our Islands Foundation, the non-profit organization of The Islands Group, organized the second "Zero Waste in Seas: An Underwater and coastal cleanup project" last September 17 to 18 in Lapu-Lapu City.
The two-day event, held in celebration of the 2010 International Coastal Cleanup, kicked off with an underwater cleanup at Punta West on the 17th which was participated in by 50 volunteer Scuba divers who collected 30 kilos of marine debris. Plastics are the most common items found, including bags, bottles and food wrappers.
On the second day, more than a hundred volunteers enlisted for the coastal cleanup held at the coastal area of Saac, Brgy. Mactan. They were able to gather 380 kilos of rubbish, from which plastics are still the most common items found.
According to Our Islands Foundaton Executive Director Chai Apale, the yearly activity has a very ambitious name yet the principle behind it is to strongly promote environmental awareness and not just simply get rid of trashes.
For this year's event, The Islands Group has partnered with other environment-conscious organizations such as Ocean Care Advocates Inc., Bigfoot Studios Inc., Cebu Yacht Club, AquaDive and ScubaDen, and sponsored by Thirsty, Worldwide Dive & Sail, Feel Deep, Ipanema, Grendha, Ocean Potion, Rider and the Philippine Business for Social Progress.
All data collected during the cleanup drives are submitted to the Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit organization that started the International Coastal Cleanup in 1985.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
PBSP invites entrepreneurs to join BiD Challenge Philippines 2010
PBSP invites entrepreneurs to join BiD Challenge Philippines 2010
The Freeman
October 16, 2010
The Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) invites all enterprising individuals with innovative business ideas to submit their proposals for the Business in Development (BiD) Challenge Philippines for 2010.
In return, winners of the competition will get the chance to be exposed to an international network of investors, experts, and business partners, receive professional feedback and assistance from business coaches, and win prize money which they can use as capital for their business ideas.
The BiD Challenge, initiated by the Netherlands-based BiD Network, is an annual international online business plan competition with participants from Africa to Latin America promoting poverty reduction through enterprise development. It aims to stimulate and support business ideas that combine profit with the improvement of living standards in the country and boost private sector development in the country by creating a platform where entrepreneurs and investors meet and interact with business executives and corporate professionals.
Participants of the BiD Challenge can receive assistance in developing solid, bankable, and complete business plans, as well as get exposure to a network oflocal and international financiers, investors, and other business contacts.
Investors, on the other hand, get exclusive access to quality small and medium-sized business plans in need of financing, while companies and non-government organizations get the opportunity to share their competence and expertise with local entrepreneurs.
Interested participants should have business financing needs equivalent to between US $10,000 and $1 million to qualify in the competition, and their respective businesses aiming to be profitable within the next three years, withgrowth potential in employees and sales of more than 30 percent per annum.
Ten of the winners will receive start-up capital, while the top two contenders will be sent overseas to join the International BiD competition.
The Dutch Nationale Commissie voor Internationale Samenwerking en Duurzame Ontwikkeling (NCDO, or the National Committee for International Cooperation andSustainable Development) initiated the BiD Challenge in 2005. The Philippines is the only country in Asia actively participating in the BiD Challenge, with the PhilippineBusiness for Social Progress (PBSP) as the local organizer of the competition since 2007.
Last year, the competition attracted more than 80 entries nationwide with winningentries including Rags2Riches, which specialized in transforming scrap fabric into bags from the designs of renowned Filipino designers Rajo Laurel and Amina Aranaz.
Interested participants to this year’s BiD Challenge have until October 30 to submit their social enterprise ideas. PBSP is particularly encouraging entrepreneurs from outside Metro Manila to submit their business plans through the BiD website at www.bidnetwork.org.
For more inquiries about the BiD Challenge, interested applicants may contact Donna P. Cariño via telephone at (02) 527.7741 loc 103/104 or via email at donnapcarino@yahoo.com.
The Freeman
October 16, 2010
The Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) invites all enterprising individuals with innovative business ideas to submit their proposals for the Business in Development (BiD) Challenge Philippines for 2010.
In return, winners of the competition will get the chance to be exposed to an international network of investors, experts, and business partners, receive professional feedback and assistance from business coaches, and win prize money which they can use as capital for their business ideas.
The BiD Challenge, initiated by the Netherlands-based BiD Network, is an annual international online business plan competition with participants from Africa to Latin America promoting poverty reduction through enterprise development. It aims to stimulate and support business ideas that combine profit with the improvement of living standards in the country and boost private sector development in the country by creating a platform where entrepreneurs and investors meet and interact with business executives and corporate professionals.
Participants of the BiD Challenge can receive assistance in developing solid, bankable, and complete business plans, as well as get exposure to a network oflocal and international financiers, investors, and other business contacts.
Investors, on the other hand, get exclusive access to quality small and medium-sized business plans in need of financing, while companies and non-government organizations get the opportunity to share their competence and expertise with local entrepreneurs.
Interested participants should have business financing needs equivalent to between US $10,000 and $1 million to qualify in the competition, and their respective businesses aiming to be profitable within the next three years, withgrowth potential in employees and sales of more than 30 percent per annum.
Ten of the winners will receive start-up capital, while the top two contenders will be sent overseas to join the International BiD competition.
The Dutch Nationale Commissie voor Internationale Samenwerking en Duurzame Ontwikkeling (NCDO, or the National Committee for International Cooperation andSustainable Development) initiated the BiD Challenge in 2005. The Philippines is the only country in Asia actively participating in the BiD Challenge, with the PhilippineBusiness for Social Progress (PBSP) as the local organizer of the competition since 2007.
Last year, the competition attracted more than 80 entries nationwide with winningentries including Rags2Riches, which specialized in transforming scrap fabric into bags from the designs of renowned Filipino designers Rajo Laurel and Amina Aranaz.
Interested participants to this year’s BiD Challenge have until October 30 to submit their social enterprise ideas. PBSP is particularly encouraging entrepreneurs from outside Metro Manila to submit their business plans through the BiD website at www.bidnetwork.org.
For more inquiries about the BiD Challenge, interested applicants may contact Donna P. Cariño via telephone at (02) 527.7741 loc 103/104 or via email at donnapcarino@yahoo.com.
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Taiyo Yuden Philippines plants 10K seedlings at Buhisan
Employees of Taiyo Yuden Philippines planted 10,000 native and endemic tree seedlings on a four-hectare site in Toong, Cebu City.
The activity is led by their EMR Director Koichi Iguchi, General Managers Toshihiko Uemura and Akira Takahashi, Assistant General Manager Keiichi Kimura, and EMs Shozaburo Kanai, Satoshi Miyamae, Toshiaki Nakano, and Koji Taketome.
Taiyo Yuden Philippines has been a partner of PBSP for its reforestation efforts since 2001. The company will continue to adopt four hectares for reforestation every year until 2015.
Veco employees plant trees with PBSP
More than 70 employees of the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) planted 12,500 seedlings over five hectares of the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve.
This activity is in partnership with the Visayas Regional Office of PBSP.
In 2010, Veco also partnered with PBSP for a five-year reforestation park project in the Cebu Hillylands. The Veco Refo Park Project aims to plant 1 million trees over 540 hectares of the Cebu Hillylands.
Art 'N' Nature's Venus Genson is Woman Entrepreneur of 2012
Congratulations to Ms. Venus Genson for bagging the Women Entrepreneur award for her trailblazing feats in social entrepreneurship and community development through Art 'N' Nature Manufacturing Corporation.
The award is one of the citations given during the recently capped Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines 2012 awarding ceremonies.
Ms. Genson is also the president of the Venus Group of Companies, a member company of PBSP.