Part 1: A Road to Anawim

It was a nice and sunny day for the group. A day before the event, I was thinking a lot of things. I couldn’t explain the excitement. Our group had decided to visit the Anawim Lay Foundations, Inc. Anawim Lay Foundations, Inc is a non-profit organization which its mission is to support the elderly “lolos and lolas” who were abandoned, who has no relatives or families who could take care of them. It is an organization who provides care and happiness to all elderly. The Chairman and Founder of Anawim Lay Foundations, Inc is Mr. Bo Sanchez. It now exists for 18 years.   

We had a long ride going to Montalban. It took us 2 hours to get there riding a jeepney from Sta. Lucia Mall Pasig to Montalban, Rizal. Then we had to take another ride which is a tricycle and it took us 20 minutes to finally get to our destination.

Tita Mila, one of the social workers of Anawim welcomed us with a warmth smile. She oriented us on the organization’s background. After our interview with Tita Mila, we went to activity center where they held their mass and other activities. On the same schedule, a group of friends were also there to conduct and activity. There was one lola who noticed us arriving and she immediately approach and greeted us one by one. She was so accommodating and even offered us a chair. Her name is Lola Judith. Lola Judith greeted me a “Maligayang Pasko!” and so I greeted back and hugged me.  After few minutes another lola came near to me and ask me to sit down beside her, she is lola Violeta. She showed to me the stuffs she received from the visitors who went there earlier. She’s wearing a scarf, bracelet and she has a bag with her which she showed to me an empty wallet. After few hours, we had to packed up and say goodbye to the lolas and lolos. We decided to come back to spend another few hours for activities with the lolas and lolos.

As we leave the foundation, we have already planned to bring something for the elderly when we come back. It was a long day, not on the hours spent in the foundation but on the hours spent for the travel. But I guess that day was a day well spent.

Insights in Marcopper Case

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth which forms into economic material.

Philippines used to have very rich natural resources and minerals. This is why most companies were trying to get into mining industry. Marcopper Mining Corporation is obviously one of those companies who wanted to take advantage on the rich resources of the Philippines. While reading the case, I could picture out the messed they made not only to our natural resources but to those who are relying on it, the local residents.

Marcopper Mining Corporation was operated in Marinduque Island back in 1969. The beautiful mountain and lively river became grey and dead which once the major source of living to the communities of Marinduque. Although the company became the largest revenue contributor and employment provider these would not suffice the impact that mining operations had created not only to our natural resources but to the community's health as well. 

Years have passed yet the case of Marcopper still hangs in the Court. Moreover, the destruction that the mining operation have made remained in the community of Marinduque. People can no longer depend on the river and other natural resources that were once their major provider. What saddens me more is that, it was not the only scandal happened in the Philippines and the Government just let these mining companies operate without imposing parameters that could protect the natural resources and the community. I hope it is not too late for the Government to realize that mining operation has a lifetime impact in our natural resources. I also hope that the next generation can still see the beauty of nature and not the destruction made by these mining companies.

Silent Initiative: Pedro’s Commitment to the Hearing Impaired (A Remarkable Case of Success)

Silent Initiative is a about the success story of a man on his endeavor, the Lamoiyan Corporation. Most of us are already familiar with the brand Hapee Toothpaste. Behind this brand is a remarkable story of the company and its owner.

I was unsure if what I have read was actually a case. I never saw a sentence or even a phrase that shows an indication of a case problem. In fact, I see it as a happy problem. The company is stable and continuously growing in terms of its brand position. But that was not just the highlight of the story.

Mr. Cecilio Kwok Pedro, the CEO and President of the Lamoiyan Corporation have gone through tough times before the Lamoiyan Corporation has stood up where it is right now. His first company, known as Aluminum Containers, Inc. was so successful in year 1980’s. He supplied toothpaste containers to multinational companies such as Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive. After prosperous years, due to innovation, these companies have switch in using aluminum containers and have used plastics containers instead which lead Mr. Pedro to give up 200 employees and later on forced to close the company. Mr. Cecilio Pedro’s faith in God brought him to a new beginning. After a while, he saw an opportunity on creating a product of his own which now known nationwide as Hapee toothpaste. The strategy of Mr. Pedro was to attract consumers by selling the product having the same quality with the competitors but at the lower price. Lamoiyan Corporation was able to penetrate the market despite of tough competition.

Even before Lamoiyan Corporation has been established, Mr. Pedro is already committed on his providing equal employment. The company is providing employment to PWDs particularly the hearing impaired individuals. Aside from equal employment program of the company, they are also active in various Corporate Social Responsibility programs. Mr. Pedro’s success story has taught me that a man does not need to be sufficient enough to extend his hand to those in need.

CSR: Environmental Sustainability

Few years ago I got the chance to witness the first National Advertising Conference conducted by Philippine Junior Marketing Association. I have been edified on Corporate Social Responsibility through our speaker Ms. Regina Lopez. She expounded her desire to rehabilitate the Pasig River. Her dedication to this project just amazed me. 

Maintaining a good environment has a great impact on the companies and the consumers. If we effectively sustain the environment, this will eventually create different sources that would support the needs of people. Environmental sustainability is the process wherein the biological system can still produce enough for the human societies’ needs. Companies are becoming active now on creating projects related to our environment as part of their CSR. 

Environmental sustainability is significant for all of us. Thus, this is something that not only the companies have the capacity to perform. Everyone has to contribute, by just merely disciplining ourselves in waste disposal is something that can make a huge difference. 

Consumer Protection: Goods that are Truly Good, Service that Truly Serve

God has given us so many resources where we get what we need for our daily activities. These needs became more accessible for us since many companies have emerged to produce goods. Goods are tangible products being purchased by the average consumers. On the other hand, services are intangible yet we could feel it through experience. As companies develop rapidly, it seems that some have forgotten to set limits. We are now exposed to various goods that are not delivering welfare for the society. Moreover, we experienced different way of servicing. These are goods that are not truly good and service that truly serve. 

Low quality products, hazardous products, products that are being advertised to deceive the audience, unhealthy food, unsatisfactory service and the likes are some of the goods that do not truly deliver goodness for society or consumers. Many companies were tempted to engage themselves in unscrupulous practices in order to earn high sales and market shares. Moreover, there are companies which provide these goods to the market and yet they could acknowledge Corporate Social Responsibility in their companies. In recent time, providing employment to community is no longer the only responsibility of the company. One of the things that most of the companies look into consideration now a days is the effect of the product to society at large. Through consumer protection act, most of the companies set standards for their production. Consumer protection is a security of consumers for purchasing goods or services against unethical business practices such as unfair trade practices, unscrupulous and exploitative production. 


For business perspective, consumer protection is important in various ways; Consumer protection compels businesses to comply with a standard measure for production that would eventually attract number of consumers and would increase loyalty through customer satisfaction. Consumer protection apprise businesses that the resources they get are from society so in return they should give back what is due to consumers by providing the demand of the economy, social responsibility and environmental sustainability. As we all know, companies that are pro-earth, pro-society and pro-economy are mostly being patronized by the consumers. Consumer protection helps to screen out the exploitative practices and be able to provide right promotion and advertisement to the audience. By providing the right promotion and advertisement to the audience may avoid misleading in which buyers lose their trust on the product and its company. Lastly, consumer protection directs the companies to follow the policies of the government in which in the long run would give a good impression on the company. Observing consumer protection has a huge impact not only on the consumers but on the company as well.



Doing the right thing always produce a positive outcome.