A USEFUL guide to corporate social responsibility is for businesses to adopt particular sustainable development goals, according to the chief executive officer of the Leyte-based Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp.
Adam Purkis, president and CEO of PASAR, shared this thought during the recently held CSR EXpo organized by the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), which coincided with the latter’s 20th anniversary celebration, at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Makati.
Located in the town of Isabel, Leyte, PASAR is the only copper smelter and refinery in the Philippines and the first in Southeast Asia, Purkis said. Glencore, one of the world’s largest global diversified natural resource companies, is its major shareholder.
PASAR also processes and exports refined copper and precious metal by-products such as gold and silver. Its president stressed that it strictly adheres to environmental laws and promotes sustainable development programs in host communities.
A much-awaited portion during the conference where Purkis spoke was the topic on “CEO’s Thoughts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Role of Business Sectors.”
In his talk before business leaders, CSR practitioners, academicians, public officials, and representatives of around 80 of the country’s largest operating and grant-making corporate foundations, Purkis underscored the need for the business sector to develop a network of support organizations in the event of future national disasters.
During the panel discussion, Purkis recalled the contribution made by PASAR Foundation Inc. (PFI), the company’s CSR arm, in augmenting logistical and humanitarian aid during the aftermath of Super Typhoon “Haiyan”, known as Yolanda in the Philippines.
PASAR’s plant in the town of Isabel was itself severely damaged which prompted the cessation of its smelting and refining operations for three months following the catastrophe.
Through the PFI”•which operates in the adjacent municipalities of Isabel, Palompon and Merida in Leyte”•PASAR mobilized its resources and joined the multi-sectoral relief and rehabilitation efforts.
“I asked the company’s workforce, engineers and managers to volunteer and help right after the typhoon, and to use our tools, machineries and warehouses while people await government intervention,” Purkis said.
Just a day after Yolanda, PFI also formed and managed the Yolanda Rehabilitation Fund (YRF) composed of employee-volunteers and representatives from the local government units and NGOs.
After conducting damage assessment, PFI and the YRF provided relief assistance”•including the much-needed emergency shelter kits and housing materials, held medical missions and psycho-social interventions to teachers and students, and partnered with other organizations such as the Philippine Business for Social Progress, EEI Corp., Rotary Club of Manila Bay, and the UP School of Economics, among others.
“We also built and distributed bancas for the fisherfolk in support of their livelihood recovery,” Purkis said.
When asked what roles should the business sector play in ensuring its contributions to the sustainable development goals, he readily referred to “the organization that fills the gap” which may be effectively realized, he said, with good coordination on the ground or a full grasp of the needs assessment of target communities and beneficiaries.
For instance, the PFI “fills the gap” by focusing on projects to provide scholarship grants to deserving indigents often left out because of either the scarcity or inefficiency with the government’s social services programs.
The best practices in CSR, according to Purkis, pertain to good corporate governance and stewardship, by working hand-in-hand with government and NGOs, including the promotion of SDGs and their inclusion in the corporate goals and in various agenda among business partners.
“Genuine CSR remains an empty rhetoric unless it creates a lasting empowerment in people’s lives and sustains communities. That, for me, is the true measure of CSR success,” Purkis said.