Aboitiz Foundation celebrated its 35th anniversary with a two-day conference, which outlined its plans to scale up and innovate the way it uplifts its community of stakeholders. This next chapter will see the Foundation on a remarkable journey to reshape its mission and step into the role of a visionary leader in sustainable development.

The event gathered the Aboitiz Group’s CSR champions from all over the country and across business units for insightful panel discussions with local and international leaders from government, business, and education on the first day and problem solving and strategy workshops for the second day.

Aboitiz Foundation President & COO Maribeth Marasigan, in her opening speech, thanked all the leaders who have guided the organization over the years. She highlighted that the Group's commitment to service is rooted on Don Ramon Aboitiz's philosophy that helping another person realize their hopes and dreams is the best form of paying them respect.

“Corporate social responsibility or corporate citizenship—in whatever form it takes—will always be about respecting human dignity by easing their burden. This has been our social commitment to the Filipino people over the past 35 years,” she said.

Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Chief Reputation & Sustainability Officer, detailed how the Foundation is revamping initiatives to provide more value to its beneficiaries. The aim is to direct efforts where the greatest impact can be made while harness synergies among Aboitiz  business units to the fullest.

Everything we are, everything we stand for, and everything we do goes back to that one thing: People...As we forge ahead to realize this new vision for the Aboitiz Foundation, we do so with passion and a renewed commitment to balancing our people-centric approach with technology-driven solutions to drive positive change.

–Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, Chief Reputation & Sustainability Officer, AEV

Aboitiz Foundation Chairman Sabin Aboitiz in his keynote speech echoed the event's theme “Change Today. Shape the Future,” and pointed to the spirit of what’s next for the Foundation. He explained the need to expand beyond the communities where Aboitiz is present and significantly scale its efforts, even going international. Technology and innovation will play a central role in realizing bold visions of extending its reach and impact. Furthermore, SMA envisions the Foundation becoming a trusted partner for the world's largest philanthropic organizations, actively addressing systemic issues such as poverty, access to education, and waste.

Our ambition is fueled by the potential of what we can achieve together by addressing systemic issues, informing and empowering communities, and fostering sustainable, inclusive growth throughout our archipelago. The partnerships that we built will not only increase our impact but will also create positive change that ripples throughout the generations after us.

–Sabin Aboitiz, Chairman, Aboitiz Foundation

The first panel discussion moderated by AEV VP for Transformation Dea Csuba tackled Enterprise & Jobs and featured with Riza Mantaring who serves as Lead Independent Director Ayala Corporation, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and First Philippine Holdings, and Raya Bidshahri, Founder and Chief Executive Officer School of Humanity.

Sharing her experience and expertise on the topic, Riza Mantaring stressed the importance of supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in their digital transformations by providing infrastructure, skills, capital, and resources, emphasizing the role of the private sector in doing so.

“For MSMEs, their number one problem is really resources. They don't have the resources to go digital—money, financial technology, and human resources. So for corporations, what you can do is help them with those resources. Partnering with the government is really important because even if we do try to give as much as we can through CSR, it's the government that has the resources, the scale, and the size to be able to make a significant impact,” she pointed out.

Meanwhile, Raya Bidshahri emphasized the significance of interdisciplinary thinking for future leaders. She encouraged organizations to promote cross-disciplinary thinking in their teams and in their learning and development programs so they are able to innovate the way they communicate, problem-solve, and strategize.

“So I encourage all of you to step outside of your comfort zone in your intellectual pursuits. Even if it's without an agenda, read a book about something that's completely outside of your discipline. Listening to that podcast might not actually help you professionally, but all of these kinds of interdisciplinary connections do ultimately allow us to be more creative thinkers,” she said.

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Antoinette Taus, Executive Director of  CORA Foundation and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme hosted day 1 and facilitated discussions with guest speakers DENR Sec. Toni Yulo-Loyzaga and DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian.

Speaking on the topic of climate action, DENR Sec. Toni Yulo-Loyzaga explained the Philippines' commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She noted the partnership between the DENR and Aboitiz Foundation in environmental initiatives such as the A-Park program, Race To Reduce program, rehabilitation of the San Juan River and Boracay Wetland No. 4, Aboitiz Cleanergy Park, Pawikan Center and its commitment to the Water Alliance Coalition.

“The Foundation is a valued partner in the implementation of programs that promote the protection and conservation of the environment, biodiversity, and our natural resources,” she underscored.

In terms of policy reforms, DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian underlined the importance of foundations like the Aboitiz Foundation and the private sector providing technical skills and resources to assist vulnerable communities and informal sector members in becoming self-sufficient.

“I realized that the national government cannot do it on its own. We need force multipliers, natural allies like foundations, like yourself, to make things better for our country. Maybe if we're going to draw purely from our own resources and our own technical know-how, we'll get nothing done. But when we synergize or when we get everybody together, each with their own distinct competencies, then we can get the country moving along,” he added.

During the conference, beneficiaries of several Aboitiz Foundation programs also shared their inspiring stories. Ms. Emma Gulocan, General Manager of the Thanksgiving Multi-Purpose Cooperative, shared the remarkable journey of their cooperative since its partnership with the Foundation began in 2011.

For Maurice Ondoy, it was an opportunity to inspire the audience by sharing the transformative impact of his scholarship from Cotabato Light. Despite challenges growing up, he achieved numerous personal and career milestones.

Finally, Administrator Darwin Manubag, who represented Mayor Frederick Siao of Iligan City, discussed how Aboitiz Foundation's Disaster Resilience Program assisted the city in becoming more climate-resilient.

In its 35th year, Aboitiz Foundation is in the midst of a transformation into an organization that leverages technology and cross-border networks in co-creating resilient, empowered, and sustainable communities. As a team, we are strengthening our capabilities to be more agile and more resilient in order to act quickly and immediately in a world of unintended consequences.

–Maribeth Marasigan, Chief Operating Officer, Aboitiz Foundation