The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) successfully held the SEC Small and Medium Industries and Large Enterprises Embracing Sustainability (SMILEES) Roadshow in Baguio City on Sept. 18, 2024.
The event was organized in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Accelerating Green and Climate Finance (ACGF) project, which is funded by the Government of Canada.
This marks the third installment of a series of sustainability roadshows launched by the SEC in Cebu in March and subsequently held in Davao last June, the SEC said in a statement.
The SEC SMILEES Roadshow aims to promote sustainable practices among Small, Medium, and Large Enterprises (SMLEs) by fostering awareness, capacity building, developing measuring tools, establishing effective monitoring schemes, and allowing the participants to share and learn from each other on sustainability practices through interactive sessions.
The SEC Baguio Roadshow showcased the sustainability-related initiatives of the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Baguio City and a panel discussion with testimonials from Baguio-based entrepreneurs that feature sustainability practices in their business operations.
“Sustainability is about making choices for a long-term impact on the environment, society, and economy,” said SEC Corporate Governance and Finance Director Rachel Esther J. Gumtang-Remalante.
She added that “we envision that sustainability is not just a matter of awareness but a standard practice of SMLEs.”
The SEC SMILEES Roadshow aims to embed sustainability concepts among SMLEs while gearing toward a greener capital market and sustainable future.
The speakers of the SEC SMILEES Baguio Roadshow included Director Gumtang-Remalante; SEC Baguio Extension Office Director Regina May M. Cajucom-De Guzman; UNDP Sustainable Development Goals Specialist Aljo Quintans; Global Reporting Initiative Country Manager Ma. Katreena Pillejera; UNDP-AGCF Project Management Specialist Joseph Eijansantos; and Baguio City LGU’s City Environment and Parks Management Office Representative Sofronio R. Pascua.
The panel discussion with testimonials featured SGV & Co/EY Philippines Partner Shane D. Tanguin; Zero Waste Baguio Inc. Representative and Owner of the Tingi Station Elke Kayle Cadangen; SCRI Mfg. Inc. Vice President Gina A. Castillo; and Session Groceries Founder and CEO Iloisa Romaraog Diga.
After Baguio City, the SEC will be conducting the annual Corporate Governance Forum, organized by the SEC together with the Philippine Stock Exchange in November.