Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has always been close to my heart because I’ve seen how many of its programs have contributed to solutions to many of the country’s problems. To cite a few: feeding programs for malnourished children; medical missions which have extended to surgical procedures, and have saved lives; driving clinics to enhance driving skills for road safety; scholarships that have produced thousands of graduates now in well-paying jobs, and are sending siblings and relatives to school.

There are at least a hundred more CSR programs that have made an impact on many lives and communities. I know this because I had monitored the CSR programs of automotive companies during the four years I was the president of the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ). The organization, born in 2002, had a centerpiece project – the Driven To Serve Awards (DTS). The awards recognized the outstanding CSR programs in the automotive industry in the areas of education, community development, environmental responsibility, and road safety.

In the past weeks, my thoughts were on the impact of CSR programs, and on SPMJ’s former initiative to recognize them. The celebration of Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation’s (TMPF) 35th anniversary ignited my interest on this. For 35 years, TMPF has worked under the philosophy articulated by its founder, Dr. George S.K. Ty: “We gain our resources from society, so we must give back to society.”

The most impactful of its pillars is education. At the heart of this is the Toyota Motor Philippines School of Technology (TMP Tech) in Santa Rosa, Laguna. Since it was established in 2013, the school has produced nearly 3,000 certified automotive technicians. Many of them are now working overseas, sending remittances back to support their families and contribute to the local economy.

One heartwarming story is that of Romel Pajarito, a TMP Tech graduate who now works in Australia. His parent, Benedicta Patapat, recalled the hardship they faced before being awarded a home in the Toyota-Gawad Kalinga Village. Romel’s journey, powered by the opportunity TMP Tech provided, exemplifies the life-changing ripple effect of education.

I still cannot forget Romel’s response to my question in an interview years ago. I asked when he realized that he was now in a better situation. His reply: “When I could buy food for a week. Now, we also own a refrigerator to store that food.”

TMPF also supports the Pulong Sta. Cruz Elementary School, investing over ₱15 million since 2017 in digitalization efforts—providing notebook computers, LED TVs, a digital library, and internet connectivity. This modernization has transformed teaching methods and opened up new learning opportunities for hundreds of students.

TMPF’s second most impactful pillar is healthcare. Its medical outreach missions extended to a Medical-Surgical Outreach Program (MSOP), providing life-altering procedures to those who need them most. Beneficiaries have undergone surgery for goiter, gallstones, hernia, and other serious conditions—services they otherwise could not afford.

TMPF has also donated medical equipment Santa Rosa Community Hospital—from dialysis machines to cardiac monitors—which have contributed to helping transform the hospital into a modern health facility.

One of the most visible transformations it has brought about is the Toyota-GK Village in Barangay Pulong Sta. Cruz. This 8,000-square-meter community, built through a ₱24-million donation, now houses 160 families previously living in extreme poverty.

Bessie Ozcariza, one of the beneficiaries, shared how they used to live under a bridge beside a pigsty. Today, their children sleep in real bedrooms, and they feel safe even during typhoons. “They taught us to dream that we will not always be this poor,” she said. And that is perhaps TMPF’s most enduring contribution—restoring dignity and hope where it once seemed impossible.

The foundation also walks the talk on environmental sustainability. It has invested in keeping the Santa Rosa River clean through projects like SILAKBO, helped maintain mangroves in Batangas and Ilocos, and nurtured forest blocks in Mt. Makiling. Through the Toyota Palm Garden at UP Los Baños and reforestation projects, it supports the broader Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050—ensuring that growth does not come at the cost of the planet.

Last Friday, at the 35th anniversary program, TMPF announced the addition of Mobility+ as the fifth pillar in its advocacies. Its first initiative, HEAL (Healthcare Mobility for All), addresses the urgent need for accessible transportation for patients and healthcare workers in underserved areas. The program provides two Toyota Coasters converted into mobile clinics and laboratories that will be deployed, first in Ternate, Cavite, and then moved as the program progresses. That will bring primary healthcare managed by Philippine General Hospital, to patients who cannot access that because of mobility problems. The second component of the program is the donation of three Tamaraw vehicles to become shuttles to provide mobility to healthcare workers on early morning and night shifts.

TMPF President Jose Maria Aligada has set a five-year vision rooted in expansion—more scholarships, deeper healthcare partnerships, wider environmental stewardship, and now, mobility solutions that empower.