APRI supports the empowerment of Laguna women through bread-making livelihood
TURNOVER OF BAKERY LIVELIHOOD KITS. In photo (from left): AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI) Vice President for Corporate Services Leonardo Robel, APRI Assistant Vice President Antonio Jun Layog, Samahan ng Serbisyong Tama ng Kababaihan (STK) of Limao President Mercia Domingo, Limao Barangay Captain Romeo Alvarez, and Executive Assistant of the Calauan Mayor’s Office Erwin Sacluti lead the ribbon cutting of the newly-refurbished community bakery at Calauan, Laguna.
AP Renewables Inc. (APRI), a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower), recently donated a newly-refurbished bakery and bakery livelihood kits to the women’s organization of Limao, Calauan in Laguna. The event was attended by partners from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Region IV-A and the Municipality of Calauan, as well as representatives of the Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of the Aboitiz Group.
The project, which received over Php 500,000 from the Aboitiz Foundation, enabled the community bakery’s refurbishments and the provision of essential baking equipment. This included 250 kilograms of flour from sister firm Pilmico and Gold Coin Group (Pilmico), the food and agribusiness subsidiary of the Aboitiz Group.
The initiative supports the Aboitiz Foundation’s strategic pillars of positively contributing to the economic conditions of women, particularly aspiring entrepreneurs and mothers.
“Our CSR team worked hard in going to our APRI host communities in order to identify and assess their needs and where we can support them,” said APRI Vice President for Corporate Services Leonardo Robel.
“Through this, we can produce needs-based, impactful, and sustainable CSR projects for the communities,” he added.
The project also funded capacity training programs in partnership with TESDA. The capacity training ran for eight days. On the final day, 25 beneficiaries acquired a Certificate of Competency enabling higher chances of employment.
“Our battle cry is ‘TESDA, Abot-lahat.’ Ang gusto namin ay maabot lahat ng may pangangailangan sa training ng TESDA lalo na iyong may limitasyon at nasa malalayong lugar kagaya ng barangay Limao,” shared TESDA Senior Training Unit Head Johram Palconan.
(What we want is to reach all those in need of training from TESDA, especially those who have limitations and who are in far-flung places like barangay Limao.)
The bakery will be managed by Samahan ng Serbisyong Tama ng Kababaihan (STK) of Limao and will serve nearby communities and businesses, including APRI, which delivers clean and renewable baseload power from a facility operating in the area. For over a decade, APRI has turned over Php 244 million to more than 76,000 beneficiaries through 277 CSR projects.
“Kami po ay napakasaya sa proyektong mapapakinabangan ng aming samahan. Malaking bagay po ito para sa aming mga ka-nanay upang mapagkakitaan imbis nang lumilipas ang maghapon na wala kami masyadong napagkaka-abalahan,” said STK of Limao President Mercia Domingo.
(We are very much happy with the project that is beneficial to our organization. This is a big thing for our fellow mothers [as it] gives us livelihood, instead of just being unproductive.)
