Aboitiz Group staff initiates "Market Day"

CEBU, Philippines - With the company initiating actions to visualize their advocacy, the employees of the Aboitiz group of companies likewise made their own initiatives to help the community.

On the fifth year of the outreach program of the employees, they have come up with the “Market Day sa Aboitiz” project in order to raise funds for their annual activity of giving food and other goods to selected children in different cities in Cebu on December 5.

Proceeds of the sales in the market will help the employees provide for the things needed to feed over 300 children and for the entertainment through a party, games and other surprises. Also the annually given Samaritan box would again be distributed, which are packed goodies that are given by children in the United States .

Rowena Astillo, the project officer, said that despite this being the first time that they have organized the market day, they are hoping that it would have a good turnout so that they would be able to continue the event and in turn help the beneficiaries that would be aided by the Aboitiz foundation.

The vendors during the market day will be beneficiaries of the Aboitiz Foundation microfinance project which aims “to assist capable and well-managed cooperatives within Metro Cebu in terms of financial needs, in promoting their livelihood projects or other income generating activities.”

The six groups are the Kapunongan sa mga Banikanhong Mag-uuma alang sa Ekonomikanhong Kalambuan, Cambinocot Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Bayabas United Farmers Association, Cobcawa Multi-Purpose Cooperative, St. Vincent Neighborhood Multi-Purpose Cooperative and the Cebu Federation of Daily cooperatives.

During the market day, these vendors will be selling different products such as organic vegetables, fruits, meat and other products like fashion accessories and rtw’s.

Theresa Sederiosa of Aboitiz explained that aside from the advocacy of helping other people through the outreach program and the market day, they will also be using the opportunity to promote sustainability by encouraging the vendors to use environmental friendly materials like papers bags instead of plastics where they would be putting in their products.

Sederiosa also said that they are also asking those who will be going to the event to bring their own bags in order to prevent use of plastics.

The market day, which will take place today in the grounds of the Banilad office of Aboitiz, is open for the public. All Aboitiz companies are also invited in the event.

The president and CEO of Aboitiz, Erramon Aboitiz, said that they are very proud of the initiative that their employees have started.

“We are very proud to see that our team members have not only initiated their own CSR programs, but have taken it upon themselves to find innovative ways of raising funds to make their projects even more successful. Their CSR initiatives are going from strength to strength every year.”

Aboitiz said that they are also very happy with the efforts of their members in taking up the challenge of the company in improving sustainability practices.— AJ de la Torre