TMP Foundation: A legacy of giving back and moving forward

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has always been close to my heart because I’ve seen how many of its programs have contributed to solutions to many of the country’s problems.

- PINKY CONCHA COLMENARES

To cite a few: feeding programs for malnourished children; medical missions which have extended to surgical procedures, and have saved lives; driving clinics to enhance driving skills for road safety; scholarships that have produced thousands of graduates now in well-paying jobs, and are sending siblings and relatives to school.

There are at least a hundred more CSR programs that have made an impact on many lives and communities. I know this because I had monitored the CSR programs of automotive companies during the four years I was the president of the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ). The organization, born in 2002, had a centerpiece project — the Driven To Serve Awards (DTS). The awards recognized the outstanding CSR programs in the automotive industry in the areas of education, community development, environmental responsibility, and road safety.

In the past weeks, my thoughts were on the impact of CSR programs, and on SPMJ’s former initiative to recognize them. The celebration of Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation’s (TMPF) 35th anniversary ignited my interest on this. For 35 years, TMPF has worked under the philosophy articulated by its founder, Dr. George S.K. Ty: “We gain our resources from society, so we must give back to society.”