Empowering women, championing sustainability

Empowering women, championing sustainability | Daily Tribune

Meanwhile, working alongside LGUs in Misamis Oriental, Aboitiz Foundation also supported the graduation of women beneficiaries who completed Financial Literacy and Cybersecurity Training through UnionBank. This initiative equips women with knowledge to manage household finances, save for the future, and make informed economic decisions.

In partnership with the local government of Negros Occidental, the Foundation and AboitizPower trained 200 women in San Carlos and Calatrava. All of the participants graduated, and 70 percent of them found jobs.

“I am very grateful to Elevate AIDA because it provides significant assistance to us mothers. Even when we are at home, we can still generate income while taking care of our children,” said Kris Ann Marie Escopete, a 21-year-old mother from Carreta, Cebu City, who is the youngest among the 40 mother beneficiaries of Elevate AIDA.

Elevate AIDA has successfully extended into key regions, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Cordillera Administrative Region, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region and Caraga. As a step to scale up this program, Aboitiz Foundation partners with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity, Philippine Commission on Women, and United Nations Women.
In its 37-year journey, Aboitiz Foundation has been helping communities build resilience, create opportunities and achieve lasting progress.

Climate Action

Aboitiz Foundation has long championed environmental sustainability through its nature-based solutions, decreasing the risks of water scarcity, loss of livelihoods, human health consequences and biodiversity loss. Its new flagship program, CarbonPH, is a multi-year partnership with the provincial government of Cebu to rehabilitate 55,000 hectares of the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL). The program focuses on reforestation, watershed recovery, and sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities. It is aligned with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Forests for Life initiative and contributes to policymaking by helping craft key policies that enable green investments.

As part of its 10-million-tree commitment, the Aboitiz Foundation has started by planting 700 bamboo seedlings along the Mananga River, within the CCPL. It is the primary watershed that supplies water to Metro Cebu’s more than 3.4 million residents as of 2024, making its protection vital to the region’s sustainability.

This initiative strengthens forest restoration, secures a clean and reliable water source, and creates livelihood opportunities for nearby communities. Each seedling planted is a meaningful investment in Cebu’s future — ensuring water security, thriving forests and resilient communities for generations to come.

Aboitiz Cleanergy Park in Davao, a Marine Protected Area and model for biodiversity conservation, safeguards mangroves, coastal forests and marine turtles, serving as a hatchery and rescue center for endangered species like green sea turtles, hawksbills and olive ridleys. To date, it has rescued 32 pawikan and released over 10,000 hatchlings back into the sea, with strong support from local governments and civil society. Complementing this effort, the Seafront Residences Pawikan Conservatory in Batangas also protects nesting grounds and provides safe release programs for marine turtles, reinforcing the group’s commitment to marine biodiversity across the country.

Beyond environmental efforts, the Aboitiz Football Cup — the country’s longest-running grassroots football league — marks its 25th season. More than a celebration of sport, it now integrates sustainability by supporting Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines’ “Tapon-to-Ipon: Basta Klaro, Panalo!” program, which exchanges clear PET plastic bottles for product rewards to promote recycling and circularity.

Following the recent 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Cebu, the Aboitiz Group and its partners, through an Aboitiz Foundation-led initiative, were key first responders. Their immediate relief efforts supplied affected local residents with basic necessities such as water, ready-to-eat food, and non-food items like the immediate restoration of power infrastructure.

Across these initiatives, the Aboitiz Foundation continues to build impact nationwide by working with diverse partners. As the group advances its Great Transformation, one principle remains constant: people are at the core of its mission to create a more sustainable future.