CLARK FREEPORT – With the initiatives to maximize resources and create a sustainable impact in the community through shared goals and team effort, the first ever Clark Social Responsibility (CSR) Summit that was spearheaded by the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) was presented to more than 50 locators here.
The CDC said the summit aims to unite locators who are passionate in giving back to the community through the establishment of The Clark CSR Association Inc. (CCAI).
Representatives from various locators in this freeport who participated in the summit were without existing CSR programs or projects while others are corporate foundations and newly established companies/ locators here.
During the event, CDC president/CEO Noel F. Manankil said the creation of the organization “will usher in more opportunities to assess more relevant projects for the community.”
“It makes more sense to put together a body and come up with a CSR body that will assess the most relevant CSR projects that we can do. When we say relevant, they are inclusive, they are sustainable, and they have the highest impact,” Manankil said.
The CDC president also noted that reaching out to the community is also a form of reinforcing investments, highlighting that communities are also a component of a successful business.
“We can all pool our resources and select the beneficiaries and then we become more relevant. New name for CSR is CSI, Corporate Social Investment: I think that is a new term, we are investing in our communities. I think this is a very good first step, I hope we will increase in number and we will be more relevant,” he explained.
Accordingly, the CCAI has laid some proposed initiatives which include networking, knowledge sharing and best practices on CSR.
Proposed incentives for CSR on the prospective members of the said organization are assistance in transaction documents, express lane for processing CSR permits, and recognition and zone wide recognized Seal of Good Corporate Citizenship among others, the CDC said.
In a previous meeting held for this freeport’s CSR Council, there were initially 22 locators who pledged support for the said organization.
