AS THE country reels from the effects of the global economic recession and various disasters, corporate social responsibility’s role in helping the poor has never been more important.
“We’ve been too capitalistic,” said Patricia Mamaril, a member of the logistics committee of a two-day conference on social entrepreneurship on September 17 to 18. “It’s time for us to help the poor, to try to remember the Ateneo core competency of being men and women for others while being financially satisfied at the same time.”
The Development Student (DS) Department, along with the Philippine Social Enterprise Network, Inc. (PhilSEN), organized the conference, which featured speakers from various reputable companies.
The Ateneo way
“It’s good to see our Ateneo students who have engaged in [social entrepreneurship],” School of Management Dean Rudy Ang said.
“Given Ateneo’s vision, this shows that we’re doing something right for the country.”
Ateneo has been instilling the concept of social responsibility in its classes. According to DS Director Leland dela Cruz, the University has been offering programs on social entrepreneurship beyond the usual business practices being taught inside the classroom.
“Ateneo is trying to enter into the field of social entrepreneurship more formally. The DS [program] has been in it for about 15 years…we want to move from student-based [business] to [business benefiting] other people,” dela Cruz said.
Sanggunian President Gio Tingson said that social enterprise generates opportunities for the development of the lives of people, changing the “very concept of development.”
A case of CSR
According to Ayala Foundation Executive Vice President Guillermo Luz, who spoke during the conference, entrepreneurship must be seen as forming businesses that aim to contribute to the resolution of social problems.
Social entrepreneurs focus more on how their businesses can address social problems through scalable ideas that could improve the current situation, added Antonio La Viña, dean of the Ateneo School of Government.
La Viña is also the Ashoka Philippine Country Representative. Ashoka is a global association of social entrepreneurs.
“The social entrepreneur is not content just to give a fish or [to] teach [people] how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the entire fishing industry,” said La Viña, quoting Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka.
Yet, despite the promises that social entrepreneurship offers, it still faces the challenge of funding.
“It’s not automatic for us to get money from any department in the company (Ayala),” said Luz. “Our projects have to be very well-prepared and we have to compete against others to get [funds].”
Timely opportunity
Mamaril also added that the conference was also an opportunity to meet people who are already established in the business.
“[Students] get to meet people who are actually successful in this field.”
According to dela Cruz, this conference could also help students after graduation.
