The League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) is pushing the conversation on corporate social responsibility (CSR) further, placing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) front and center at its 2025 CSR Conference and Expo on July 1, 2025 at the Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City.
With the theme “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity for Shared Prosperity,” the conference spotlighted how inclusive business practices can help rebuild a more equitable Philippine economy, particularly for women and work-challenged individuals like persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Shem Jose W. Garcia
Held during the National CSR Week, the annual event gathered business and foundation leaders to reimagine CSR as a long-term strategy for sustainable development.
LCF chairperson Shem Jose W. Garcia, also executive director of Vivant Foundation, emphasized that DEI is not just a corporate buzzword but a practical framework for unlocking shared prosperity in a post-pandemic recovery landscape.
Overlapping barriers
Garcia, who opened the conference with a call for inclusive transformation, underscored the importance of intersectionality in understanding inequality.
“As CSR practitioners, most of our projects seek to uplift those left behind in poverty, finding solutions that would benefit the greatest number of people,” he said. “However, when creating and implementing programs for the many, we often risk leaving behind those with special needs or limited capacity to benefit from these programs.”
He explained that genuine inclusion means recognizing how gender, disability, ethnicity, and income status overlap and compound exclusion.
“A person may be disadvantaged not just by one category, but by how these categories intersect. That’s why understanding intersectionality is key,” he said.
Gender inclusion
In discussing the country’s DEI landscape, Garcia noted that while the Philippines has made commendable progress in terms of gender inclusion, the corporate ladder remains uneven.
“There are now more women in the workforce, almost reaching parity in numbers. But when you look at the boardrooms and the executive level, men still dominate,” he said. “We’ve improved, but we’re not all the way there.”
LCF’s members, many of whom operate in industries where gender gaps remain entrenched, are now being encouraged to support leadership pipelines, mentoring programs, and policy reforms that open more doors for women, especially at the decision-making level.
Garcia also shared how the League’s internal reflection on workforce gaps led him to examine the underrepresentation of persons with disability (PWD), particularly the deaf, in corporate settings.
He stressed that improving workplace diversity begins with fixing gaps in access to education, training, and credentialing, particularly for PWDs, indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ+ individuals who remain on the margins of mainstream employment.
Beyond a buzzword
Garcia addressed criticisms of DEI, particularly in countries like the U.S. where the term has become politicized.
“Some companies there have rolled back their DEI programs, and the backlash from the public has been telling. It turns out, people do value inclusion, and those who stayed true to their commitments were rewarded with public trust,” he said.
While DEI was not part of LCF’s original core pillars, Garcia said the spirit of inclusivity has always guided the coalition’s work.
Garcia clarified that LCF does not directly implement projects, but instead serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing and collaboration across its 90+ member foundations.
“Our strength is in connection. We bring together groups working in the same space, help them align their efforts, and enable them to share successful models that others can replicate,” he said.
One such example is LIFE, an early nutrition program currently being implemented in Basilan. Spearheaded by the Zuellig Foundation and supported by other members like Jollibee Foundation and Shell Foundation, LIFE pools the strengths of various organizations without relying on LCF-administered funding.
Legacy of collaboration
Garcia has served on LCF’s board since 2020 and assumed the chairmanship in December 2024. As his term concludes, he reflects on the value of shared leadership and evolving priorities.
“We rotate leadership so that fresh perspectives come in. I’ll continue my work through Vivant Foundation, but the DEI conversation doesn’t stop here,” he said.
Next year, LCF marks its 30th anniversary, an occasion Garcia says the organization is already preparing for. “It may not be fancy, we’re always mindful of resources, but it will be meaningful. It’s an opportunity to reflect on how far CSR has come, and how much more we can achieve through inclusive, collaborative efforts,” he said.