We congratulate Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC) for having been awarded by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Rural Development and Poverty Eradication Leadership Awards (RDPELA) for one of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The company’s social intervention was on supporting the livelihood project for differently-abled persons who are among those relocated in a Gawad Kalinga Community in Los Amigos, Tugbok District, Davao City.
Yes, we could not but be happy as well since we had been part in the laying of the foundation of that particular CSR project in cooperation with Gawad Kalinga. It was started when we were two years into our retirement from the power company as head of its CSR Department.
The differently-abled beneficiaries were mostly coming from the Our Lady of Victory, an institution run by the religious that supports the same group of people especially in their treatment and rehabilitation.
After their relocation to the Gawad Kalinga community Davao Light helped in organizing the differently-abled and trained them in the acquisition of baking skills. Then in collaboration with the Aboitiz Foundation, the social development arm of the Aboitiz Group of Companies, the organized differently-abled individuals were given baking equipment and initial supplies. That started their bakery business supplying mostly the need of the relocation community and neighboring areas.
After we retired, Davao Light through our successor Fermin Edillon further upped its support by providing the now Samahan ng may iba’t ibang Kakayahan sa Dabaw (SAKADAB) skills in dressmaking and sewing. Then the company provided the association sewing machines that they are now using in their dressmaking activities.
The bakery business and the sewing services are effectively helping the SAKADAB members pull out of the poverty mess these days more so with the seeming end of the economically devastating CoViD 19 pandemic.
This social initiative by the company did not go unnoticed as the RDPELA through its Philippine partner the Philippine Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) found out the CSR intervention is one that fostered the differently-abled sector’s economic stability in this hard time. Hence, the award that was given in rites held in Singapore.
We can only hope that the company will continue its being an ideal corporate citizen in Davao City and other businesses will follow its example in whatever way convenient for them.
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Are drivers of public utility vehicles in Davao City participating in the efforts of their sector to create a transportation crisis?
We are hoping they are not, and will not. If they do so they will not only be creating a transport crisis but doing disservice to the people they committed to serve in terms of providing transportation requirements for them to report to their work or do their usual businesses. They will not also just be among the Judases that betrayed their fellow Davaoenos by negating their responsibility as drivers, they’d also become the likes of the Roman soldiers who persecuted Jesus Christ and eventually crucifying Him on the cross.
By Him we mean the people – the very reason why there are public utility jeeps and they, the drivers, are around as well.
If the drivers including those in Davao City, succeed in creating the transport crisis, then they are no different from airplane hostage takers who, by any wrong decision or plain braggadocio, blow up the airplane they too will be included in the body count of victims.
