Weather Underground, a US-based online monitoring service, recently determined that the world’s strongest tropical cyclones in terms of wind speed at landfall were Goni in November 2020, Meranti in September 2016, and Haiyan in November 2013. These three most powerful storm landfalls in recorded history entered the Philippines as Super Typhoons Rolly, Ferdie, and Yolanda, respectively.
Since the country has become a climate change hotspot, it is puzzling why the government seems to be taken by surprise every time a disaster strikes. In the aftermath of Typhoon Ulysses and Super Typhoon Rolly this month, millions of Filipinos were displaced and many were left to fend off for themselves.
Fortunately, the private sector again stepped into the picture to fill the disaster response vacuum. A good example is the Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCCF) spearheaded by the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) and 10 other organizations.
Business and industry officials led by FFCCCII President Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong immediately sent emergency food and other essentials to the hardest-hit Bicol and Cagayan Valley regions. They established a partnership with GMA Kapuso Foundation and the Philippine Coast Guard in this relief drive for typhoon victims.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, FCCCF also raised P300 million to provide PPE suits, thermal scanners, ventilators, surgical masks, and gloves to more than 300 hospitals as well as vitamins, sanitizers, face masks, and free sacks of rice to over 600 barangays throughout the archipelago. At that time, they partnered with ABS-CBN Foundation in the distribution of food relief packs to urban poor families quarantined in Metro Manila.
Such corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives have been replicated through the efforts of other business groups and non-governmental organizations. Significantly, the private sector has been doing its share without much fanfare – all in the spirit of bayanihan.
STRENGTHENING HUMAN CAPITAL
In celebration of its fifth anniversary last October, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry leader South Pacific Inc. (SPI) launched the SPI LPG University to strengthen its human resources. The educational arm is aimed at the development of its employees’ core, cross-functional, and leadership competencies in order to improve SPI’s service and competitive edge.
Part of the company’s CSR program involves compliance with operational requirements mandated by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Employees are required to observe strict health protocols at their workplaces in line with IATF protocols.
Due to travel limitations, SPI provides service vehicles to transport its employees safely and comfortably. The company was able to hurdle the challenge of transport issues amid lockdowns because it built a fleet consisting of bulk LPG trucks and large supply facilities. By managing its own fleet, supply and distribution are assured to be on time.
SPI President and CEO Iñigo Golingay Jr. was the keynote speaker during the recent annual conference of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). He shared with PMAP members one of the secrets of his company’s phenomenal five-year growth, which is to focus on “putting people first.” This leadership strategy has further enhanced internal talent and improved customer service, thus spurring the company’s formula for success.