Community Beyond the Fencelines

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is considered the "soul" of the business organization. Our CSR programs provide the organization its social relevance beyond the balance sheet. While, initially a cost item, CSR’s impact and implications are found beyond the numbers.

In CHI, CSR has evolved since 20 years ago when we started out our first philanthropic effort to resettle displaced families affected by the access roads that we developed for the Cebu Business Park (CBP). From beneficiaries - as they were known 20 years ago - the communities around the CBP and all the more recent projects have become our partners in community-building.

Implementation Strategy and Community Engagement

Our initiatives in social development adopt a community-based and participatory approach focusing on critical areas aligned with the Ayala Social Initiatives. The programs that revolve around these areas are implemented using the collective resources of allied sectors: the business and barangay communities. Together, we analyze limitations and collectively design doable programs.

Community Alliance

CBP, a 50-hectare integrated business and commercial development project, is abutted by five barangays.

A capacity-building program was implemented in 1999, principally aimed at a sustainable and self-reliant neighborhood. This strategy recognized the fact that the CBP fenceline barangays should be better prepared to take advantage of the wealth of opportunities of the emerging business and commercial district. Conversely also, CHI’s corporate philanthropy could evolve into a more sustainable direction than just a donor-donee relationship. The program, which was later formalized as the Cebu Business Park and Neighboring Barangays Altruistic Alliance, was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2000.

Since then, the neighborhood alliance has enhanced the value of partnership among communities and the CBP. Development Programs

Development Programs

Environment
Solid Waste Management

The partnership with Barangay Luz in the Solid Waste Management program of Cebu Business Park and the Ayala Center Cebu strengthened in the second full year of implementation. A total of 26 residents from Barangay Luz are employed to handle garbage collection for Ayala Center Cebu and CBP while six members from the barangay's "ERPAT (Empowerment Re-affirmation of Paternal Ability Training)" continue to handle the composting project at Tugkaran, Cebu Business Park’s green space and composting facility launched on April 22, 2009 in line with the Earth Day celebration.

In 2009, this project generated 48 sacks or 1,920 kilos of organic fertilizers sold at P300 per sack.

In 2009, a total of 234,909 kilos of recyclables were collected from Ayala Center Cebu.

Total recyclables collected accounted for a total cash conversion of P440,865.00. The income is generated from sale of these materials to recyclers while some are generated from the sale of products made from recyclable materials.

The success of this partnership was one of the highlights when Barangay Luz presented its initiatives to vie for the "2009 Gawad Galing Pook Award for Participatory Environment Management". Barangay Luz was among the awardees for its sustainable community development program known as "Kwarta sa Basura," which entailed the participation of various stakeholders.

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Education

The Company granted vocational scholarships to 17 out-of-school youths who completed the three-month “Barista Course”. The program was implemented in partnership with the University of Southern Philippines Foundation Inc. (USPFI) and the CBPNBAAI.

The program beneficiaries came from the neighboring communities of CBP and the Asiatown I.T. Park, namely Hipodromo, Carreta, Mabolo, Luz, Kamputhaw and Apas.

The trainees took a 127-hour "Barista Basics Course" and eight hours of entrepreneurial training that started in March and culminated in June. The course involved a five-day internship program at Ayala Center Cebu’s partner-merchants: Bo’s Coffee, Figaro, Gloria Jeans and Seattle’s Best Coffee. More than half of the graduates were eventually employed with some of these merchants.

Peace and Order/Emergency Preparedness
Unified Security Force

As part of the Company’s program for a unified security force and emergency preparedness for the community, CHI’s security department partnered with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Cebu Business Park and Neighboring Barangays Altruistic Alliance, Inc. (CBPNBAAI) in conducting a series of workshops on Fire Prevention and Suppression to neighboring communities. Invitation to the workshops was extended to property locators, office employees, CHI Health and Safety committee members, security guards, outsourced personnel and the neighboring communities of Cebu Business Park and Amara.

To improve coordination with neighboring communities in emergency situations, the Company turned over a set of communications equipment configured for direct contact between the security force of all CHI-managed properties and barangay leaders.