For the second year in a row, BDO Foundation has conferred the prestigious Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year Gold Award by Asian Banking & Finance. It is the highest honor given by the Singapore-based finance publication to corporate foundations.
Last year, the foundation was recognized for successfully rehabilitating rural health units all over the Philippines and helping improve the healthcare delivery system in the country. This year, it was cited for developing a community for calamity-stricken persons with disabilities and supporting their livelihood.
In line with its disaster response advocacy, BDO Foundation developed a community for Leyte-based PWDs, who were displaced and left homeless by Typhoon Yolanda. The corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank constructed 100 typhoon-resilient resettlement homes in Sta. Fe, Leyte for the disabled people and their families.
The project was backed by the local government unit of Leyte, Municipal Social Welfare Development Office, Institute for Social Entrepreneurship and the Foundation for These-Abled Persons Inc., a non-profit organization that promotes the welfare of PWDs. The PWD community is touted as the first of its kind in the Philippines.
BDO Foundation also built a multi-purpose hall near the community to support the livelihood activities of the beneficiaries. The PWDs currently use the structure to manufacture school furniture, which the foundation purchases for the school buildings it constructs.
The award-winning program is aimed at alleviating the plight of disabled individuals, who have lost their homes and livelihood in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda. The PWDs of Leyte bore the brunt of the disaster as many of them did not have immediate access to aid due to their disability.
The Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year Gold Award was accepted on behalf of BDO Foundation by BDO Capital and Investment Corporation president Ed Francisco and BDO Institutional Banking Group head Walter Wassmer at the Retail Banking Awards 2018 held in Singapore.
Organized by Asian Banking & Finance, Retail Banking Awards recognizes banks that deliver outstanding products and services. This year’s awarding ceremonies were attended by more than 330 banking executives and guests from such countries as Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Photo caption: The CSR Program of the Year Gold Award was accepted by BDO Capital and Investment Corporation president Ed Francisco (left) and BDO Institutional Banking Group head Walter Wassmer (right) at the Retail Banking Awards 2018 held in Singapore.