Dear Ms. Abbi,
Good day! Trust all is well.
This is Krizia Louren Catapang from Evident Integrated Marketing and PR. On behalf of the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), we thank you for joining us yesterday at the 2025 CSR Conference and Expo held at Dusit Thani Manila and Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City. As promised, I’m sharing the press release that recaps the key insights from the event.
With the theme “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity for Shared Prosperity,” this year’s conference marked a pivotal moment in redefining CSR—from philanthropic efforts to strategic, inclusive initiatives that fuel national development. The speakers emphasized how intersectionality, inclusivity, and resilience are vital to shaping business strategies that uplift underserved communities.
CSR Week Key highlights include:
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Senator Risa Hontiveros, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, championed the integration of DEI in nation-building efforts.
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Shem Jose Garcia, Chairperson of LCF and Executive Director of Vivant Foundation, Inc., emphasized the importance of recognizing how overlapping identities such as gender, income, ethnicity, and ability affect people’s access to opportunities.
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The CSR Expo showcased impactful grassroots innovations, including the LIFE Program’s BLT Community Kitchen, which provides Muslim-friendly, nutritious meals in Basilan. This initiative reflects how inclusive programs directly address community needs while promoting food security and empowerment.
This year CSR Expo showcased diverse grassroots innovations from LCF member foundations and partners. These included interactive booths and immersive experiences that highlighted community-centric programs across education, environment, health, and disaster resilience.
Among this year’s CSR Guild Award recipients were:
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Ayala Foundation, Inc. (Enterprise Development), recognized for its Iraya Mangyan weaving program supporting indigenous artisans;
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Vivant Foundation, Inc. (Education), honored for Project Liadlaw, which brings solar power to off-grid schools;
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Aboitiz Foundation, in partnership with the Hecdor Group (Arts and Culture), recognized for reviving traditional textiles through Project Tahi ‘Ta.
CSR Medal of Recognition Awardees (Non-Member Organizations):
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Pioneer Adhesives Foundation, Inc. (PAFI) (Disaster Resilience), for Angat Sining Tibay at Galing (ASTIG)
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Fluor Daniel Inc., Philippines (Environment), for Commitment to Sustainability: Environmental Stewardship, promoting environmental conservation through mangrove reforestation, coastal cleanups, and education initiatives.
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Juanito I. King Foundation, Inc. (Health), for Project Healthy Smile at Bittang Elementary School, providing dental health education and services to underserved children.
The CSR Guild Awards remain a key feature of the conference, honoring impactful programs across education, environment, enterprise, health, arts, and disaster resilience. This year’s winners such as Ayala Foundation and Pioneer Adhesives Foundation exemplified how strategic, values-driven CSR empowers communities and redefines business as a force for inclusive, sustainable development.
Attached are the two press releases with photos for more details.
Should you have any questions or clarifications, please feel free to contact me through this email or send a message at 0915 579 5610.
Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
LCF opens CSR Week with 2025 Conference and Expo highlighting DEI, LIFE program
Manila, Philippines — The League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) gathered business and industry leaders at the 2025 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference and Expo on July 1 at Dusit Thani Manila, to promote inclusive growth as a key driver of sustainable development. Held during National CSR Week, the event highlighted how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are reshaping business strategies—reflecting the shift in CSR from traditional philanthropy to strategic, systemic efforts that contribute to society and support nation-building.
Business and foundation leaders, and CSR advocates gathered at the Dusit Thani Manila for the 2025 CSR Conference. Photo from League of Corporate Foundations.
With the theme “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity for Shared Prosperity,” the conference highlights DEI as a core strategy for companies seeking to promote development and economic resilience as the country recovers from recent economic setbacks and global uncertainties.
Shem Jose Garcia, LCF Chairperson and Executive Director of Vivant Foundation, Inc., delivered his opening message at the Guild Awards during the 2025 CSR Conference. Photo from League of Corporate Foundations.
According to Shem Jose Garcia, Chairperson of LCF and Executive Director of Vivant Foundation, Inc., inclusion requires recognizing how identities like gender, ability, ethnicity, and income overlap and affect people’s experiences. “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. However, when creating and implementing projects that aim to benefit the many, there remains a challenge that this can often leave behind those with special needs or limited capability to benefit from these programs,” he said. “It is important not just to identify these groups as a category on their own, but to understand the importance of intersectionality – that a person may be disadvantaged not just because of one category to which they belong but how those categories overlap.”
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Chairperson, Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality delivered her keynote session entitled “Shared Prosperity, Shared Responsibility: The DEI Mandate in Nation-Building” during the 2025 CSR Conference and Expo. Photo from League of Corporate Foundations.
In her keynote session titled “Shared Prosperity, Shared Responsibility: The DEI Mandate in Nation-Building,” Senator Risa Hontiveros, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, underscored the need to embed DEI into nation-building efforts across all sectors. She discussed that working towards equity and social justice is not only right but also good for business. For example, women in leadership foster inclusive work environments that value diversity and equality—principles essential for sustainability and growth.
Opening day sessions featured discussions on inclusive corporate supply chains, enterprise development for underserved groups, and the shift toward measuring CSR performance based on community-level outcomes. Speakers emphasized that inclusive practices are not simply acts of goodwill—they are strategic approaches that strengthen business resilience, drive innovation, and contribute to long-term national development.
Left to right: Enrique S. Canoy, VP for Operations & Corporate, Communications Head, RMN Networks, Inc.; Ramon Derige, Executive Director, SEAOIL Foundation, Inc.; Ronn Astillas, Chairperson, Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce; Shem Jose Garcia, Chairperson, League of Corporate Foundations and Executive Director, Vivant Foundation, Inc.; Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Chairperson, Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality; Rudy P. Guiao, Jr., CIO Lead for PH and Managing Director for IT (PH, SEA, and China), Accenture Technology; Edric Calma, Vice Chairperson, League of Corporate Foundations and Vice President, Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc.; Ryan Vidanes, Executive Director, Conrado & Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc.; Austere Panadero, President and Executive Director, Zuellig Family Foundation, Inc.; and, Philip Francisco Dy, Trustee, League of Corporate Foundations, Executive Vice President of Metrobank Foundation, Inc. Photo from League of Corporate Foundations.
This call for systemic inclusion carried over into the first plenary session, “The Intersection of Financial Inclusion & Resilience: Protecting the Vulnerable and the Marginalized Sectors in the Philippines,” where its featured Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Director Mynard Bryan Mojica, Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association Deputy Executive Director Michael “Mitch” Rellosa, and Insurance Commission Deputy Commissioner Atty. Reynaldo Averilla Regalado.
The discussion highlighted how access to credit, savings, and insurance can help marginalized communities reduce long-term risk and build resilience to disasters—reinforcing the broader message that inclusive systems are not just equitable, but essential to national development.
The CSR Expo welcomed guests at Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City with interactive booths of impactful, community-focused initiatives in health, education, environment and more. Photo from League of Corporate Foundations.
Alongside the conference kick-off, LCF opened the CSR Expo 2025 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati, where member organizations and partners showcased high-impact programs across education, health, livelihood, environment, and disaster resilience. Designed as an interactive and educational space, the Expo engaged the public with grassroots initiatives—from youth skills training and education access to coastal conservation and social enterprise development—demonstrating how responsible business practices respond to social and environmental needs.
LCF also highlighted key milestones of its flagship league-wide program called ”LCF’s Initiative for Food Security, Nutrition, and Empowerment” or LIFE at the Expo, including one of its first programs inaugurated in Basilan last June 26—the Busog, Lusog, Talino (BLT) Community Kitchen. Designed to prepare 600 to 1,000 nutritious, Muslim-friendly meals daily, the kitchen serves as a centralized facility for food to be distributed to schools in alignment with local feeding programs. Present during the inauguration were Former Governor of Basilan Jim Hataman Salliman, Dr. Joyce Ann Arandia-Viar, Project Manager of the Zuellig Family Foundation, and LA Cruzat, Senior Program Manager of the Jollibee Group Foundation.
At the 2025 CSR Expo, Edric Calma, Vice Chairperson of League of Corporate Foundations and Vice President of Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. underscored the League’s commitment to inclusive development like LIFE encouraging deeper corporate involvement in community resilience. Photo from League of Corporate Foundations.
According to LCF, this pilot effort is an opportunity for more corporate foundations to take part in the LIFE program and for the private sector to be involved in community development. “Inclusion and sustainability should be built into how companies operate, grow, and engage with communities,” said Edric Calma, Vice Chairperson of LCF and Vice President of Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc..
The 2025 CSR Conference and Expo is co-presented by Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc. and co-organized with Metro Pacific Investments Corporation Foundation, Inc., and The SM, Henry Sy, and Felicidad T. Sy Foundations, Inc. It is also made possible through the support of BPI Foundation, Inc., Manila Water Foundation, Inc., Metrobank Foundation, Inc., Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc., and Vivant Foundation, Inc., with special thanks to Energy Development Corporation, Inc., Lopez Group Foundation, Inc., and Jollibee Group Foundation, Inc. LCF also thanks Ayala Foundation, Inc., BDO Foundation, Inc., and Citizen of the World Philippines Foundation, Inc. and acknowledges Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., Don Antonio O. Floriendo Sr. Foundation, Inc., Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, Inc., ICTSI Foundation, Inc., Ronald McDonald House Charities, SEAOIL Foundation, Inc., Security Bank Foundation, Inc., Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, Inc., Unilab Foundation, Inc., and Zuellig Family Foundation, Inc. for their support. These and other partners help foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing on sustainability and inclusivity.
