Foundations league raises bar on CSR

LCF’s call for CSR excellence comes at a time when the Philippines is experiencing multiple crises.

DT·27 April 2026, 12:01 am·1 MIN READ

Foundations league raises bar on CSR — LCF leaders discuss the shift in CSR from isolation to collaboration — aligning shared strengths, common metrics, and a unified purpose to drive lasting impact. From left: Shem Jose Garcia, executive director of the Vivant Foundation and LCF chairperson; Melody M. del Rosario, president of the Metro Pacific Investments; and Katherine Anne A. Khoo, head of strategy and impact of the Ayala Foundation.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF LCF

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Reconnecting with old friends

After three decades of investing in communities, the 96-strong League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) is not resting on its laurel and is poised to set its next milestone.

“At 30, we are not here to celebrate what has been done, we are here to challenge what comes next. Beyond the legacy we have built, we must ask ourselves: what more can we do to create impact that is not only good, but necessary?” Shem Jose Garcia, chairperson of LCF and executive director of Vivant Foundation Inc., says.

The goal is spelled out in the theme of LCF’s upcoming CSR conference and exposition: adapt, align, accelerate. The champion of responsible business and strategic philanthropy in the Philippines also adopted a new logo as an inspiration to converge their perspectives and resources.

The league’s longevity is not only a milestone, but also a call to the sector to “raise the bar that it established,” according to Garcia.

“Thirty years in, the question is no longer whether businesses should invest in communities. Rather, it is whether those investments are built to last and designed to solve,” he adds.

The 2026 CSR Conference will be held during the CSR Week on 1 to 2 July 2026 at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City, while the CSR Expo will be held on 1 to 2 October 2026 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City. The events will showcase the corporate sector’s capacity to adapt to a rapidly changing world, align their programs with genuine community needs, and accelerate impact through collective action, with the end goal of raising the overall standard of CSR in the Philippines.

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As part of its commitment to elevating CSR excellence, LCF will present the Guild Awards to outstanding community initiatives by members on 30 June. The Medal of Recognition will be also accorded to non-LCF members whose work has made a difference in arts and culture, disaster resilience, education, environment, enterprise development, financial inclusion and health.

Moreover, the Conference will provide a space for businesses, national government organizations, academe, youth groups and government agencies to engage and collaborate around CSR innovations.

LCF’s call for CSR excellence comes at a time when the Philippines is experiencing multiple crises — rising costs of living, energy shocks, climate-related disasters, and persistent poverty — that are demanding more from the private sector than one-off programs.

“The world has been changing rapidly and CSR must change with it,” says Garcia. “What we need to evolve is to align our programs with real needs and accelerate our impact where it matters most.”