Asian Forum on Corporate Social Corporate Responsibility now on its 13th year , have a success story of " building resilient communities " . The success story is todays , major theme of the CSR annual convention being held at Makati Shangri la hotel , Makati Philippines.

Federico M. Macaranas , Ph.D. Professor of AIM Asian Institute of Management , moderated one of the break out session summarizes the afternoon take out for the participants :

" We should never waste the benefits of a good crises".

The professor , that the very core of " building a resilient community " is by empowering each citizenry of member of the community. Because its by them who will decide on their own fate when confronted of disaster.

Though disaster preparedness can be articulated into a manual by each host company with in the community, and turn these manual into an integrated part of the community, by sharing its mandate, pre exercise its objectives by a series of public consultation, awareness campaign, orientation and training for each community and leaders, still the manual could only be of good used as guidance but can be bend according to circumstantial needs during the break out or disaster.

What is important is the keen to be creative in solving problems at hand during the disaster , the fall back position of the manual still could be an official guide . If not totally abandoned the ready made manual and opted for a more workable decisions accordingly as was told by the Mayor of Christchurch earthquake victims in New Zealand , as he's statement in the Asia Pacific Conference on sustainable communities held in Manila a few ago.

What is important is the presence of minds , and generic ways of solving struck disaster community in the midst of disaster.

Todays afternoon of conference about CSR , the participants were able to get to knew the ways and means of doing good CSR practices based on the actual experience of Adidas by selling in discounted all adidas shoes that has been damaged cause by the typhoon haiyan. The At @ T telecom company used the creative side of the worst scenario of typhoon , by selling block times of calls and distributed for free calls to the host communities affected by the calamities. The Mitsubishin the aftermath of Fukushima earthquake and tidalwave rebounce back by creative CSR activities .

The moderator further states, that by visiting himself of Indonesia Jakarta, observing the Asean Jakarta Disaster Coordinating council have all chorusly insist " Jakarta have all the geohazards knowledge of earthquakes, typhoons but all agreed to have a disaster management course for its good for every one to know the preventive side ,the theory, of disaster but to handle , properly manage it accordingly in practical way should be of given to every one.

In the Philippines , the private and local government unit have in consonant for creative collaboration . Its been in the Philippine LGU , DNA of funds allocating 5 percent for calamity funds of its entirety funds. The mandate out five percent is 70 percent should be set aside and use for disaster preventive mitigation . The community based of doing Corporate social responsibility version in the Local Government Unit is called " Purok System", cascades from the household set up . The LGU have mapped already the risk and vulnerability of each selected geographical areas , and form an collaborative information systems via GIS geographical information system, with CBIS community based information systems , together with the private company's own data systems . Based on this collaborative effort the shared values ,is the private company's employees location is mapped and can be monitored during the calamity. In all the risk and hazards associated to life and property is now predetermined at any given situation of time.

Supot Arevart general manager of the Thailand National Bank of Microfinance , attending the Philippines have been a believer of the Philippine good practices of doing creative CSR. Infact he attending in the conference and looking for books to buy about Microfinance and CSR for him to properly of good used to his country men.

David Astley, Executive chairman for the Media Alliance for Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Social Awareness, emphasized the benefits of social media during and after the calamity. Real time information is necessary for the CSR practitioners, policy makers, government agencies, International disaster response team to form a rescue , retrieval, relief operations like the Red Cross.

Paul Clarke of green ocean .com , speaks the importance of ocean and its core role on the lives of the archipelagic countries like the Philippines. Its a must therefore to prioritized the savings mechanism of the coral triangle, the mangrove , the regulations and policies in relations to sustainable harvesting of the abundance of oceans . Safeguarding rare , endangered species like whale sharks ( Butanding ), dolphins, sea turtles , and the coral itself .

One example of a good sustainable practices of ocean green is the Butanding Tourism initiative in Donsol Sorsogon, Philippines.


Likewise , the artifact of human history and archeological , architectural wonder should also be in mandates of CSR. Because its historical artifacts defines the cultural narratives, identity of each community.

The Angkor wat ruins in Combodia , as emphasized by the CSR attendee H.E. Mr. Aing Sovannroath , Deputy Director General Manager of Tourism is one also of the attendee of todays 13th CSR.

The 18th century St. Franciscan initiated church , located in the Barcelona patterned from Barcelona township is a tourism to behold as per Henry Estipona , the founder of Barcelona Historical Society , also an attendee of the 13th CSR corporate social responsibility summit with a theme: " Building Resilient Communities". The old Spanish town ship is an exemplar testimony of the theme .


Henry Estipona
Philippines