Getting Started with Corporate Citizenship

The Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) is the largest corporate-led, non-profit social development foundation in the Philippines. All Transport Network officially joins the PBSP on 29 March 2011 and attended the Corporate Citizenship Training Program on the same day. Such participation in the training program has made ATN understand and appreciate the concepts and principles surrounding corporate citizenship.

PBSP focuses on four (4) main program areas namely, environment, education, enterprise development, and health. All areas are also in line with the company’s thrust to contribute to the country’s social development and economic growth. ATN shall embark on an environmental project by getting involved in the reforestation initiative program of PBSP. With the help of PBSP, a tree-planting activity will be organized under the Marikina Watershed Initiative Program (MWIP).

The MWIP is a partnership with the Philippine Disaster Rehabilitation Foundation (PDRF). The watershed areas span a total of 28,000 hectares. Out of 28,000 hectares, only 20% of the total land area is estimated to have some forest cover. This fact became more apparent during the typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng when it was discovered that the watershed was the main source of flood waters when the travesty occurred.

Currently, the minimum additional forest cover needed to reforest the watershed is at 34% or 9,520 hectares. This equates to approximately 6.7 million annual seedling requirement spread out over a five-year period.

For 2011, PBSP and PDRF have 100 hectares of the watershed to cover and PBSP is looking at involving its members to “adopt-a-hectare” and help in the efforts to reforest the watershed.

A variety of packages for PBSP members and partners are available, each suited to fit needs, resources, and advocacies.