SINGAPORE, Oct. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Universal Harvester, Inc. (UHI), an industrial conglomerate in the Philippines was named one of the Top CSR Advocates in Asia at the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES) 2017 held at the InterContinental Hotel Singapore on October 26, 2017. The UHI was recognized for placing Corporate Social Responsibility at the core of its operations.
In the words of its founder, Dr. Milagros How, "the social responsibility of transforming lives, communities, and preserving the country's cultural heritage is the reason for the existence of our enterprise."
"We view profit not just as the reward for the willingness to take business risks. To UHI, profit is the resource which we mobilize to help transform the agriculture and food production sectors, and help improve the lives of the men and women who serve in those sectors," she adds.
UHI spends a CSR budget based on how much is required to fulfill its commitment to the beneficiaries of its CSR programs. Over the years, the focus of the CSR programs has and continues to be the Filipino farmers.
The CSR projects underscore two important messages to the public.
First, that agriculture is what sustains life and must be supported by all sectors.
Second, that the farmer is a hero who deserves recognition for his role in sustaining life.
The centerpiece programs include education, training, technical assistance and opportunity matching. These programs have already benefitted some 8 million farmers.
UHI also conducts Study Tours and Exchange Programs, bringing farmers to various parts of the country and Asia to observe best farming practices that can be adopted to their respective farms.
To institutionalize the learning process and recognize outstanding accomplishments, UHI implemented the annual search and award for The Outstanding Farmers of the Philippines (TOFARM) since 2012. TOFARM has been recognized as an effective knowledge platform and has implemented other projects for the Filipino farmers, including advocacy initiatives aimed at renewing interest in Farming as a profession. These projects include the TOFARM Film Festival, TOFARM Song Writing Contest, TOFARM Villages, and the Banaue Rice Terraces Restoration Project.
"To us, business goals and social mission make both the social transformation sustainable and mutually beneficial. After all, a business enterprise exists to serve people and communities, and the real profit is the positive change and improvement in their lives," Dr. How underscores.
UHI: Secretariat (+632) 4214301 to 02; SALES (+632) 421-2231 to 32 -421-2234 to 35-421-2243-709-5007* www.universalharvester.com
TOFARM: (+632)7095001 to 02* www.tofarm.org
