Corporate Social Responsibility

The Aboitiz Group’s commitment to giving back is a principle that traces its roots over a century ago when its forefathers first established their business in Leyte. This legacy has been instilled and passed on through generations of its corporate history, with one of its first leaders, Don Ramon Aboitiz, leading the Group’s corporate philanthropy efforts and actively looking after the welfare of his employees.

In 1965, Don Ramon gave a big part of his personal wealth to establish the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI). RAFI is a family-based foundation that is rooted from the conviction of its founder that “the dignity of man is best respected by helping him realize his hopes and by sharing with him the burden of his fears.” Its vision has consistently been “Touching People, Shaping the Future” while its current focus areas are integrated development, micro-finance and entrepreneurship, culture and heritage, leadership and citizenship, and education. To learn more about RAFI, click here: https://www.rafi.org.ph/.

As the Aboitiz Group diversified into many businesses, its commitment to giving back grew accordingly. After decades of supporting various causes and the increasing magnitude of assistance needed in areas where its companies operate, the Aboitiz management decided to find a more efficient and effective way of altruism. Thus in 1988, the Aboitiz Group established the Aboitiz Foundation (then referred to as Aboitiz Group Foundation, Inc.) as its corporate foundation to address the social and economic development needs of marginalized members of society.

Over the past years, Aboitiz Foundation has been committed to its mission of helping people help themselves and pursuing its vision to be the neighbor of choice. It constantly delivers value to its stakeholders, including communities where the company operates. It focuses its efforts on education, enterprise development, and environment with the goal of co-creating safe, empowered and sustainable communities.

Since the late 1980s, its initiatives have evolved from CSR 1.0, which involves simple philanthropic activities, to CSR 2.0, which implements projects that are more sustainable for its beneficiaries and at the same time aligned with its businesses. This renewed focus calls on the Group to scale up CSR strategies beyond doing good to building good communities together. In 2019, 41% of its CSR projects, such as the Purposive College Scholarship, Mahalin Pagkain Natin, Classroom Rewiring, and the Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Training, reached CSR 2.0 status. Moving forward, it intends to carefully select projects that would help it reach its goal of achieving CSR 2.0.

One notable project is the launch of its online crowdfunding platform, KINDer by Aboitiz (KINDer). Launched in 2018 in conjunction with the Foundation’s 30th anniversary, KINDer enables individuals to participate in various social campaigns, promote CSR projects, and share opportunities to help create a kinder world.

Aboitiz Foundation also continues to invest heavily in education-related projects. In 2022 alone the Aboitiz Scholarship Program produced 181 college scholars, 187 technical-vocational (TECVOC) scholars, and 166 senior high school scholars. Moreover, 66 scholars have graduated from the program, and 13 scholars have gained employment with the Aboitiz Group.

Our Biyaheng Digiskarte program, which empowers MSMEs and cooperatives with innovation and technology, has been instrumental in helping individuals and communities bridge the digital divide. We provide access to training and resources that help them become more proficient in using technology to their advantage. This program has enabled people to adapt and pivot to new opportunities, and has been a lifeline for many who have been affected by the pandemic. 

In 2022, a total of 6,197 enterprise development program beneficiaries, which included MSMEs and cooperatives, received our support and training. This kickstarted the digital transformation journey of our cooperative partners so they can take advantage of emerging opportunities in e-commerce. 

As the Group embarks on its Great Transformation journey towards becoming the Philippines’ first Techglomerate, the Aboitiz Foundation is undergoing its own transformation to become the Foundation of the Future. This transformation is focused on various areas:

• Enterprise & Jobs: The Foundation aims to bridge the digital divide for MSMEs and cooperative development, leading to greater wealth creation, upskilling, and future employment.
• Future Leaders: The Foundation is dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders in various fields such as science, engineering, data science, innovation, and entrepreneurship. STEM-focused education for the youth is a key focus.
• Livable Earth: Aboitiz Foundation is committed to building a climate-ready ecosystem through climate action, adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity management, habitat conservation, and addressing long-term issues like plastic waste and carbon emissions.
• Policy Reform: The Foundation aims to influence and reform policies that drive socioeconomic progress, fostering systemic change.

As the Aboitiz Group continues to transform and expand its efforts, the Aboitiz Foundation remains steadfast in our commitment to creating a positive and lasting impact on society. Guided by a rich history of giving back and a forward-looking vision of a brighter future, the Foundation will be driven by innovation, powered by technology, to address the evolving needs of the communities we serve.