As a testament to Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. (Davao Light)’s contribution and commitment to the development and empowerment of the communities the distribution utility serves, it was awarded the 6th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Rural Development and Poverty Eradication Leadership Award (RDPELA) for the Philippine private sector.
The Award recognizes outstanding contributions in rural and livelihood development, poverty eradication, and public-private partnerships of non-government or civil society organizations (NGO/CSO) and the private sector from the ASEAN Member States.
Davao Light won the Award for the private sector category in the country, while the Coalition of Municipal Fisherfolk Association of Zamboanga Sibugay won for the NGO/CSO sector category.
“This is a big win for Davao Light, having consistently lived up as a responsible corporate citizen through project partnerships with different government agencies and organizations for its education and livelihood programs,” said Fermin Edillon, Davao Light Reputation Enhancement Department Head.
The RDPELA Awarding Ceremony is part of the Official Dinner of the 13th ASEAN Ministers Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (AMRDPE) held on November 21 at Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. The prestigious award was presented to Davao Light by H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, and H.E. Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development of Singapore and AMRDPE Chair. Secretary Lope Santos III of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) led the Philippine delegation to the Awards.
In August this year, NAPC awarded the nomination to the company after assessing and validating the power utility’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs through a visit to its flagship projects and partners.
Davao Light’s CSR program focuses on three priority areas: Education, Enterprise Development, and Environment. Two of the flagship projects highlighted in the Award are (1) the long-standing livelihood program in support of the Samahan ng may iba’t-ibang Kakayahan sa Dabaw (SAKADAB) Consumer Cooperative, a group of differently-abled persons in Davao City and (2) the education project, Project e.Lab or electrical laboratory, in support of public schools’ Electrical Installation and Maintenance (EIM) course under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Technical Vocational Livelihood track. Davao Light has provided 43 electrical laboratories across its franchise areas since the start of the program. These projects are mainly in partnership with Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., the social development arm of the Aboitiz Group.
Davao Light, an AboitizPower subsidiary, aims to empower and add value to the communities it serves by providing tools, services, and keys to efficiency and well-being, which will bring about development in its franchise area covering the cities of Davao, Panabo, and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali, and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte.
