WB country director to keynote CSR expo

MANILA, Philippines - Best practices from regional and global aid organizations are seen to help strengthen corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Philippine companies and enterprises in terms of relief and rehabilitation, especially given the spate of natural calamities and disasters that have affected the country in the past few years.

Motoo Konishi, World Bank Country Director for the Philippines, will keynote this year’s conference. He recently cited the Philippines as a rising tiger economy, as it focuses on the potentials of the nation and overcome its image as “the sick man of East Asia.” Similarly, Konishi seeks to encourage the local business community to reinforce their commitment and to contribute more resources to their respective CSR projects and programs as part of nation-building.

In another plenary session, Dr. Sothea Oum, an economist at the Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia, will talk about competitiveness and innovation in CSR in the ASEAN context.

Gloria Steele, mission director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID)-Philippines, will provide resource on strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations, as part of a plenary session on improving governance through transparency, responsiveness, and accountability. Steele will showcase the USAID Forward capacity-building program, which outlines a set of policy reforms, strategies and rules that allow local ownership of aid.

LCF public affairs director and CEMEX Foundation Executive Director Chito Maniago affirms ‘the practice of CSR in the country has gone a long way, it is now very strategic and addresses concrete needs and issues in the country today’. ‘Our strong line up of speakers for this year’s conference attests to the importance of public-private synergy in nation building’, adds Maniago.

Leading local industry leaders, government officials and media personalities will join the distinguished panel of resource speakers: Kim S. Jacinto-Henares, commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue; Nora K. Terrado, undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry; National Scientist Dr. Raul V. Fabella, Economics Professor at the School of Economics of U.P. Diliman; Guillermo M. Luz, co-chairman for private sector at the National Competitiveness Council; Dr. Marivic Bernido, principal of the Central Visayan Institute Foundation and 2010 Ramon Magsaysay awardee; and Nerissa V. Ronquillo, vice president for corporate communications of Holcim Philippines.

Prominent broadcast journalists will act as moderators in the plenary sessions: Ces Oreña-Drilon, TV host and news anchor of ABS-CBN; Mike Enriquez, president for radio of GMA Network and news anchor of 24 Oras; and Luchi Cruz-Valdez, head of news and public affairs of TV5.

This is the spirit behind the theme “Commit. Strengthen. Rebuild” of the 13th CSR Expo Conference of the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), to be held on July 24 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City. Jeffrey O. Tarayao, chairman of LCF and president of One Meralco Foundation, will open the conference and lead the CSR Awards before the closing of the sessions. The conference coincides with the CSR Expo Trade Exhibit to be held at the Glorietta Activity Center on July 29 to 31, showcasing the development work of corporations, corporate foundations, and other organizations.

LCF organizes the CSR Expo Conference every year to mark July as CSR month and to continuously promote best CSR practices among its member foundations and corporations. For more information on conference registration or booth exhibition, call the LCF office at 8925753 or contact 0936 948 5688 (Globe) and 0920 427 4963 (Smart) or visit www.lcfcsrexpo.com.