Philippine
President Benigno Aquino III said Wednesday night the country and its Asian
neighbors had been spared from the global turmoil sparked by the Wall Street
protest assailing corporate greed and corruption because firms in this part of
the world had been actively helping improve the lives of people.
Speaking at the 10th Asian Forum on Corporate
Social Responsibility held at the Edsa Shangri-La hotel in Mandaluyong City in
Metro Manila, Aquino said the “Occupy Wall Street" movement which had
initially expanded in the United States and now had struck European countries
had seen people "protesting against companies that engage in what they
deem to be the usurpation of regulation and, in some cases, democracy
itself."
Difficult
times
The President added, "We see that these
groups of people from different nations all share the same rallying cry: there
must be accountability; there must be inclusive growth."
Aquino said it was difficult at this time
"to be the head of a corporation, given that corporations seem to be
portrayed as the bad guys in this latest global economic and social
crisis."
But he said it was not so in the country and
among its Asian neighbors.
"When one looks at our part of the world,
however, this is not the case. While of course there will always be exceptions,
here in our region, corporations—especially the ones more active in their
humanitarian endeavors—are generally seen in a positive light. The people
recognise the value that business can bring to a nation; they see the
opportunities and the possibilities, and realise that corporations and
individuals can empower each other and partner toward the achievement of a just
society," Aquino said.
CSR
activities
The President said he believed that the good
regard for companies in the Asian region was "partly because many
Philippine and Asian corporations have been actively engaged in Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. any, if not all of you present here
today have made the conscious decision to play a greater role in the
communities in which you do business. Realising that you do not live and work
in a vacuum, you have done your best to help ensure that the people living in
the societies in which you operate are given the chance to live a more
dignified life," he said.
Aquino urged business leaders to "exert
even greater efforts to show the true face of Corporate Social
Responsibility" by acting promptly on the concerns of the people.
Giving
back
"We must foster the attitude of giving
back, and of always remembering that the growth of companies—that the growth of
economies—rely, in essence, on the empowerment of the people. No one must be
left behind," he said.
Aquino assured the business leaders that they
could rely on his administration as a partner in their effort, reminding them
that they were working with "a government that is concerned, foremost,
with the people," and one that was spending a third of its national budget
on social services.
The President noted that a lot of Philippine
companies were recognised for their
efforts in corporate social responsibility activities.
"In the first time that I had an occasion
to talk before you, not a single Filipino company managed to be awarded,"
he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
He said he would "try to motivate"
more local companies "to excel" so they could be recognised for their
efforts.
Christine O. Avendano
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Business & Investment Opportunities
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