TAGUIG -- Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual underscored the importance of continued collaboration among government, the private sector, and civil society role in nation-building at the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) 20th Corporate Social Responsibility Conference and Expo held on 7 July 2022. The Trade Secretary attended Day 4 of the Expo virtually with its hybrid set-up to deliver closing remarks. 

In his speech, Secretary Pascual said “Together we want to live a secure and comfortable life. Beyond the Filipinos’ wishes for their own families, their vision for the country is collective prosperity and justice for all. Their vision of prosperity is rooted in a keen awareness of poverty and its harshness.” 

With this year’s theme of “Creating the Future We Need: Striking a Path During a Period of Transition,” LCF stressed the corporate and civil society sectors’ greater role in creating an ideal future for the Filipinos. 

The Expo also emphasized the need to work together in creating collaborative efforts that have long-lasting impacts on society, noting that the League should move in the same right direction not only for itself or as a corporation and foundation, but even more so for the country.  

Sec. Pascual highlighted the country’s civil society, calling it a vibrant sector as it goes way back in terms of experience in designing and implementing programs that fight poverty. He also encouraged companies to learn from the experience of civil society in making CSR programs work, and in directing efforts toward where help is needed most. Likewise, he cited the creativity of the private sector that would help companies to integrate social responsibility into their main line of business. 

The trade chief also reiterated the need for DTI to maximize its efforts in developing a National Competitiveness Program that various regions and respective urban centers can pursue. “Let’s reimagine our country as a group of prosperous and collectively resilient local areas from north to south. This is both geographic diversification and de-risking of our economic engines,” Sec. Pascual stated. 

He added, “If we want a better national future, we have to go town by town, city by city, province by province, region by region, and that’s the only way we can be assured nobody is left behind.”  

In closing, Sec. Pascual called on the audience at the Expo to create a future together not only for future generations but for the country and its people now by collaborating with the government in steering the economy and the entire country to the right path. 

Over 250 attendees participated in the event, including LCF Board of Trustees Executive Directors, its Advisory Council, and members. Aside from Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Eduardo Bobier, National Resilience Council President Toni Yulo Loyzaga, and Pilipinas Shell President and CEO Lorelei Quiambao Osial also gave speeches during the fourth day of the Conference and Expo. 

Since its formation in 1991, LCF has continued to be at the forefront of promoting and enhancing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practice among its members and the larger business community. The LCF is a network of ninety-one (91) of the largest operating and grantmaking corporate foundations and corporations in the Philippines. (DTI)