InLife’s Steps for a Cause reaches out to nine charitable institutions
Insular Life (InLife) and Insular Foundation donated over P600,000 to nine health institutions and charitable organizations through its “Steps for a Cause” employee volunteer campaign.
Since March 2020, over 80 percent of Insular Life employees are on a work from home arrangement. The “Steps for a Cause” campaign is a health and wellness initiative to encourage employees to engage in walking activities as a form of exercise.
From September to November, 264 InLife employees pooled together 38,282,911 steps which were monetarily matched by InLife and Insular Foundation.
Last December, the donations were turned over to the chosen health institutions and charitable organizations to support their ongoing COVID-19 assistance programs, disaster response initiatives, educational programs, and other community projects.
“InLife employees participate in activities that give back to our community. Through our Steps for a Cause campaign, our employees were equally engaged in our health and wellness campaign during the quarantine, and charity work during these challenging times,” said Florian De Leon, InLife Human Resources Head.
InLife’s Steps for a Cause beneficiaries that were chosen by InLife employees include: Hospicio de San Jose, Philippine General Hospital, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Relief and Development Services Inc., Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and Gawad Kalinga in Marcelo Village, Paranaque City. The provincial beneficiaries were: The Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (for Cebu employees); and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish (for North and Central Luzon employees).
Insular Life is the first, largest, and only mutual Filipino life insurance company in the country with over 109 years of uninterrupted service.
Globe ESG rating upgraded to “A” from MSCI
Globe has received an MSCI ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) rating of A, up from the “BBB” score it earned previously.
MSCI ESG Research provides MSCI ESG Ratings on global public and a few private companies on a scale of AAA (leader) to CCC (laggard), according to exposure to industry-specific ESG risks and the ability to manage those risks relative to peers. MSCI’s research provides critical insights that can help institutional investors identify risks and opportunities that traditional investment research may overlook.
“This rating upgrade reflects our efforts in integrating sustainability into our business and shows we are on the right track in our practice. Moving forward, we will continue with this holistic approach to risk management in order to create value for our stakeholders, minimize risks for the company, and achieve inclusive and sustainable development for all,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability officer and senior vice president for corporate communications.
True to its environmental commitment to reduce its carbon footprint in support of the United Nations’ goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Globe undertakes a number of initiatives to use cleaner sources of energy and manage energy consumption for its offices and network as well as enhance its operational efficiency.
The company ensures compliance with its business obligations by paying proper corporate income tax ahead of time. It was cited by the Department of Finance last April as being among the top 11 companies that complied early with their tax obligations even when the deadlines were extended twice. It also works closely with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the National Telecommunications Commission in ensuring that the country’s state of connectivity continues to improve, aligned to global standards.
Globe has also placed greater emphasis on business ethics practices and exposure to risks related to corruption and has instituted anti-corruption measures including whistleblower protection and employee training on ethics standards.
Vivant helps Cebu schools implement distance learning
Public schools in Cebu are struggling to meet the requirements for distance learning.
Heeding the call of the Department of Education (DepEd) 7, Vivant Foundation donated around P500,000 worth of audio-video recording equipment to the DepEd 7 Regional Office. The audio-video recording set included a laptop, cameras, lighting and other accessories.
DepEd 7 Regional Director Salustiano Jimenez said that the donation will be used to produce audio-video learning modules in Visayan for kindergarten to third grade learners for schools in Central Visayas that have chosen the blended method to implement distance learning.
“Our resources are not enough. We don’t have budget for capital outlay…This is where assistance from the private sector, like Vivant Foundation, is very important.”
Vivant also assisted seven schools–namely Catarman and Buagsong Elementary Schools in Cordova, and Kabangbang, Guiwanun, Kampingganun, Putian and Baod Elementary Schools in Bantayan–in Cebu Province, through the donation of distance learning materials and equipment.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to help ensure the safety of our children as they continue their studies in these trying times caused by COVID-19,” said Vivant Foundation Executive Director Shem Jose W. Garcia.
In the municipality of Bantayan in northern Cebu, Vivant Foundation donated a risograph machine along with several reams of bond paper to the Kabangbang Elementary School. The machine can also be used by nearby public elementary schools in Barangays Baod, Kampingganun, Puti-an, and Guiwanun when reproducingteaching modules.
In Cordova, Vivant Foundation also donated bond paper and toners to the elementary schools in Catarman and Buagsong. A separate donation of bond paper was turned over to the Municipal Government to be distributed to other public schools in the town. The donated paper complements the printing equipment that the Municipal Government gave to the schools.
