The Pasig River, the cradle of early Manila civilization, is a finalist in the first ever Asia Riverprize by the prestigious International River Foundation (IRF) which recognizes and rewards organizations that make a difference through effective river basin restoration and management programs.
PRRC Executive Director Jose Antonio E. Goitia says that “the consecutive entries of the Pasig River as a finalist in the 2017 and 2018 Thiess International and Asia Riverprize, respectively, is a testament that the world recognizes the efforts of the Philippine government to restore the Pasig River and its environs since PRRC was established in 1999.”
In the beginning the competition was called the Asia-Pacific Riverprize Awards which allowed entrants from 45 countries, including New Zealand and Australia. With so many entries and because of the high quality of the said entries it as later decided to split the event into two: Asia Riverprize and Australasia Riverprize.
After much deliberation the committee decided on its finalists for Asia Riverprize, namely the Pasig River (Philippines) and the Yangtze River (China).
Asia Riverprize 2018 finalist
Goitia adds “last year, the Philippines is the only third world and developing country that made it into the international finals and bravely competed with the US and the United Kingdom. In this year’s Asia Riverprize, we will be facing another super power – the red dragon, China. However, with an indomitable spirit, we remain steadfast and optimistic that we will stand triumphant in the end.”
Criteria for judging
IRF Director Professor Bill Dennison
In behalf of the IRF’s board of river basin experts, IRF Director Professor Bill Dennison says that “these different river stories are united by a common theme: excellence in river management.”
The Riverprize is not a competition of which river is more beautiful or cleaner. This is the reason why the IRF, comprised of river management experts and professionals from around the world, has given importance and consideration to the rehabilitation efforts of the PRRC to bring back the Pasig River system to life.
It has acknowledged PRRC’s commitment in delivering quality projects, programs, and activities in easement recovery, housing and resettlement, riverbanks development, waste and water quality management, and public awareness.
The Pasig River – past, present, and future
There has been significant improvement to the condition of the Parig River where it was once declared in the 90’s as “biologically dead”. While still a work in progress many areas along the historic river have already shown signs of acquatic life. In addition, it has now become conducive to transport, recreation, and tourism.
The Pasig River prepares to win the coveted award
Mr. Jose Antonio E. Goitia, PRRC’s Executive Director, together with Mr. George Oliver G. dela Rama, Division Head of the Public Information Advocay and Tourism join forces to present and defend the Philippines’ Pasig River entry an esteemed panel of judges in the upcoming 21st International Riversymposium on October 14 to 18, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Other PRRC Management Committee members are also part of the Philippine delegation.
The winner of this prestigious event will receive widespread global recognition, which will, additionally:
build new partnerships
provide opportunities for exchange of knowledge and best practices
open doors for international support
Also, the winner will automatically qualify for Stage Two of the Thiess International Riverprize in 2019.
As one nation, the PRRC seeks everyone’s support to its Pasig River entry in the 2018 Asia Riverprize. The Pasig River’s victory is the victory of the Philippines and every Filipino who works hard and shares the same vision of saving our waterways and the environment. It will be the triumph of all who believe that the dream of a clean and alive Pasig River is within reach!
Nearly 450 AXA Philippines employees recently gathered to donate their time and skills as volunteers in the company’s annual Corporate Responsibility Week, an event observed by AXA entities all over the world.
Themed “CR Week in Action,” the week-long celebration touched 2,250 lives by partnering with several non-government organizations and foundations with advocacies that focus on health, education, and the environment.
NGOs involved in CR Week in Action
Among the roster of NGOs were:
Metrobank Foundation,
Hands on Manila,
Rise Against Hunger,
Simply Share in Cebu,
National Bookstore Foundation,
Adarna House, Inc.,
Manila Doctors Hospital,
Philippine Red Cross – Rizal and Cebu Chapters,
Make-A-Wish Foundation, and
The University of San Carlos in Cebu City.
About Corporate Responsibility Week
“AXA’s annual Corporate Responsibility Week is part of our continuing commitment to empower communities to live better lives,” said AXA Philippines president and CEO Rahul Hora. “We thank our employees for giving their time and sharing their expertise to help our various advocacies.”
AXA Philippines President and CEO Rahul Hora together with AXA employees packed meals for the indigenous people community in Pampanga
AXA Philippines volunteers packed meals for Aeta mothers and their families in Porac, Pampanga to last six months; packed food for students of Napo Elementary School in Cebu to last three months; and 150 candles and mosquito traps for the mothers of Trece Martires, Cavite.
AXA Philippines employees gathered together as volunteers in the company’s annual Corporate Responsibility Week
A blood drive was also held with Philippine Red Cross and Manila Doctors Hospital.
A training session on first aid and financial literacy was conducted for mothers and children in Cebu.
Volunteers are also set to run at the Philippine Red Cross run for a cause.
Books are set to be delivered to the library of Napo Elementary School.
Project Aral Kits from National Book Store will go to underprivileged students.
Volunteers also made the wishes of kids with life-threatening illnesses come true.
Uratex, the country’s leading sleep specialist, partners with philanthropists and society personalities Tessa Prieto-Valdes and Kaye Tinga for the company’s ongoing CSR campaign, Project 50, which aims to provide a total of 2,500 mattresses to 50 public hospitals and nursing homes nationwide.
As brand ambassadors, Prieto-Valdes and Tinga chose four hospitals where 200 mattresses were donated under their names. One of their beneficiaries was the Ospital ng Makati. Other recipients of Uratex include:
As the leading manufacturer of quality foams and mattresses in the country, Uratex is committed to education and health advocacy, rehabilitation programs, community service, and volunteerism. Robert G. Cheng/Uratex Foundation serves as the CSR arm of the RCG group of companies.
In photo shows Uratex executive vice-president Eddie Gallor; Kaye Tinga; Tessa Prieto-Valdes; Uratex CEO and president Natty Cheng; and Ospital ng Makati division for medical services director Robert So.
The annual World Industrial Design Day (WIDD) is an initiative of the World Design Organization, of which the Design Center is a member. It spotlights a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and underscores the role of design in achieving the objective. For 2018, with the focus on UN SDG Number 3, holistic health and well-being were highlighted.
In partnership with Robins Design Center, Designing Wellness featured talks, workshops, and exhibitions at the Schema, Perchand La Europa showrooms.
On-Off Group strategist Leo Lallana challenges participants to come up with creative solutions as they are instructed to apply Design Thinking in different activities. (Photo by JC Lucas)
Leo Lallana of On-Off Group facilitated a Design Thinking workshop that taught participants to “fail forward” and to come up with solutions tailor-fit for pain-points of businesses.
Participants were presented with different challenges during the workshop. One challenge asked them to come up with designs that took into account the insights of their chosen partners. Activities emphasized empathy and the active seeking of innovative solutions to problems at hand.
Reimon Gutierrez imparts his art philosophy to participants of the Life By Design workshop. (Photo by Paolo Quiocho)
Reimon Gutierrez talked about his philosophy of art as a tool for self-discovery in his Life by Design workshop. He encouraged participants to “visualize wellness”, helping them with the process by instructing them to describe various objects given to them.
Melanie Go discusses the modern built environment and the holistic farming practices of Holy Carabao Farms. (Photo by Paolo Quiocho)
The second part of the event, Design Talks, featured talks by homegrown design champions.
Kicking off the series of talks, Melanie Go explained that building biology “addresses the ecological nature of the building – a step forward in harmony and balance with nature” and made the home “our third skin.”
“These homes are meant to protect what’s going on inside and what’s going on outside. We should think about the home as a living organism,” Go said.
A co-founder of Holy Carabao Farms, Go said the well-being of the soil, the animals and the people involved were top priorities in the practice of holistic farming.
Jenica Dizon, COO of Waves for Water Philippines
Waves for Water Philippines director for operations Jenica Dizon emphasized the importance of immersing one’s self in the source of the problem he/she wanted to solve. She encouraged her audience to help effect change while doing what they were passionate about.
“It’s really hard to advocate for health, for wellness, when people don’t have basic needs,” Dizon noted as she talked about how her passion for aquatic activities evolved into her advocacy to provide clean water for everyone after she saw the plight of indigent communities. She showed the audience the water filter that Waves for Water provided communities to make water clean.
Arooga Health founder Dominique de Leon and Innovable, Inc. chief design officer Christina Guanzon stressed the need for accessibility of design, particularly in relation to their respective advocacies, mental health and a safer world for everyone, able-bodied or not.
Dominique de Leon, Founder of Arooga
“We don’t have convenient access to mental health care,” De Leon lamented as he discussed the impetus for Arooga Health, an online application that champions improved mental health policies in the workplace. “Hopefully, together, we could design a future that we’re all excited to see,” he said.
Christina Guanzon, Founder of Innovable, Inc.
“In designing products, you have to design for any possibility,” Guanzon said. She said, as a hearing-impaired person herself, the difficulties she faced in a world that was mainly accessible to differently abled individuals served as the inspiration for Early Action Response System (EARS), a device that would enable deaf wearers to detect threats in their environment.
Niña Terol, Chief Fireball and Co-Founder of Kick Fire Kitchen
“To all the designers here, we encourage you to make design inclusive even on the basic level,” Chief Fireball and co-founder of Kick Fire Kitchen Niña Terol said during the fireside chat she moderated.
“We are proud to be at the forefront of sparking the much-needed conversation in ensuring that the physical, mental, social and psychological dimensions of an individual and the community are top priorities in designing wellness,” Design Center of the Philippines Executive Director Rhea Matute said.
With a grant from the Embassy of the United States in Manila, the expo promoted equality in employment opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Rhea Matute, Executive Director of Design Center of the Philippines
Design Center set up an institutional booth at the Henry Sy Hall in De La Salle University that featured its key services of the agency. It also facilitated a workshop, Do the Dough, that taught the 27 participants techniques they could apply to homemade air-dried dough to create various products that they could sell for a profit.
“The Design Center believes in accessibility as embodied by our accessible design services,” Matute explained. “We hope to continue playing an active role in the advancement of employability of Filipinos, regardless of their conditions.”
More than 400 passionate volunteers from Citi Philippines led by country Chief Executive Officer Aftab Ahmed turned up in full force during the recently held Freedom Walk 2018, with the local government of Pasig as this year’s host city.
With the theme “Every Rightful Step, All Barriers We Break”, the Freedom Walk is co-chaired by non-governmental organizations, Alyansa ng May Kapansanang Pinoy (AKAP-Pinoy) and Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Inc. (PFRD) as an expression of the desire of persons with disabilities (PWDs) to be free from discrimination and inequality.
Shown in photo receiving Citi’s plaque of appreciation is Aftab Ahmed together with PFRD’s president Manuel V. Agcaoili.
Recently, the Pioneer Adhesives Foundation, Inc. conducted a beach cleanup event at Villa Beach in Arevalo, Iloilo City. Over 100 volunteers participated in the event, which concluded with over 300 kilograms of trash being collected from the beach and properly disposed of.
The event was spearheaded by Pioneer Adhesives Foundation’s Executive Director Martina Spakowski, in fulfillment of the organization’s advocacy of education, disaster relief, and environmental protection.
“The Philippines is home to the most abundant and diverse marine ecosystems on the planet and it is terribly under threat due to several factors, one of which being that we are the third largest contributor of ocean trash in the world. This threat can be eliminated and we believe that by involving individuals in activities like this they will begin to realize the environmental impacts of our daily habits and this hopefully leads to smarter purchase decisions to reduce our trash output.”
The beach cleanup represented both a drive for awareness and a concrete action to help protect our environment. It was a timely gesture that reflects the values of World Environment Day, which took place just recently on June 5 and in which more than 143 countries are a part of every year. This year’s theme was “Beat Plastic Pollution” and Pioneer’s beach cleanup support this thrust by preventing over 300kgs of trash from entering the ocean and posing a threat to marine life.
The beach cleanup underway
In a time when trash is beginning to fill our oceans and marine life is being threatened, the call to action has never been louder for us to do our part and make more conscious decisions to help preserve the life of our oceans.
It is through The Foundation that Pioneer Adhesives, Inc. spreads its commitment as a responsible Filipino company.
With a grant from the 
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