CARING FOR FARMERS – Mitsubishi Corporation and BDO Foundation have joined forces for an initiative that benefits a farmers organization in Nueva Ecija. Ine photo are Mitsubishi Corporation Manila General Manager Keiichi Matsunaga (left) and BDO Foundation President Mario Deriquito.
BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, has forged ties with Mitsubishi Corporation for a corporate citizenship initiative that benefits more than 100 rice farmers in Nueva Ecija.
The partnership was formalized through the signing of the memorandum of understanding by Mitsubishi Corporation Manila General Manager Keiichi Matsunaga, Mitsubishi Corporation Corporate Sustainability and CSR Department General Manager Takehiro Fujimura, BDO Foundation Trustee and Treasurer Lucy Co Dy, and BDO Foundation President Mario Deriquito.
According to Deriquito, “We would like to express our appreciation to Mitsubishi Corporation for making BDO Foundation its partner of choice for the implementation of its corporate social responsibility program in the Philippines. Our collaboration is a significant step towards the achievement of our shared goal to make a difference for underserved sectors of society.”
“The idea of growing together with communities and contributing to build sustainable societies is deeply rooted in the corporate culture of Mitsubishi Corporation. I very much look forward to continuing to work with BDO Foundation on this shared journey to support capacity building efforts that can create positive, long-term impact within local commu¬nities,” Matsunaga said.
Mitsubishi Corporation and BDO Foundation have agreed to provide capacity enhancement training to the Kooperatibang Likas ng Nueva Ecija, a farmers organization in the province. In partnership with National University, the foundation started to facilitate financial education training for members of the cooperative. Professors and volunteer speakers from the university shared with beneficiaries lessons on such topics as saving, budgeting, simple accounting, proposal writing, entrepreneurship and product costing to help improve the financial literacy and productivity of the farmers. Through the training sessions, participants explored alternative ways to generate income.
As part of the memorandum of understanding, the partners will also turn over tractors to the farmers organization. Project managed by BDO Foundation, the joint initiative was made possible by a donation from Mitsubishi Corporation.
Mitsubishi Corporation is a global integrated business enterprise with business operations in Natural Gas, Industrial Materials, Petroleum & Chemicals, Mineral Resources, Industrial Infrastructure, Automotive & Mobility, Food Industry, Consumer Industry, Power Solution and Urban Development. The Tokyo-based multinational has offices and subsidiaries in approximately 90 countries and regions.