2019

(Posted Dec. 2019)

Developing with Local Communities

Many Cebu Mitsumi employees were hired from the local community. The Company undertakes a variety of initiatives based on the belief that developing with the local community is important.

One such initiative, conducted pursuant to a request from the Philippine government, is a mangrove reforestation project that is intended to preserve ecosystems and serve as a countermeasure against storm damage and so on. There were problems in the region including conversion of mangrove forests to agriculture use and logging for charcoal and firewood. This program was started in cooperation with local residents in FY2011, and to date, approximately 50,000 trees have been planted. In addition, coconut and cacao seedlings purchased by Cebu Mitsumi were distributed to employees, their families, and cooperating factories as a disaster prevention measure through reforestation in mountainous areas.

There are many children in the region who are unable to obtain an adequate education, and since increasing educational opportunities is important for local development, the company makes donations to many schools. One example is donations to support scholarships for The Sisters of Mary School—Girlstown, an educational institution that provides basic education such as reading and writing as well as vocational training. The students and school principal Sister Laresa expressed gratitude for Cebu Mitsumi's programs.

The Run for Education charity marathon is another event that contributes to the local community. The marathon has been held since 2013 to promote the health of employees and collect contributions for local development. Each year, approximately 1,200 runners participate. To date, more than 2 million yen in donations has been collected, and the funds have been used to provide support in the form of facilities and educational materials provided to schools in the local area.

One educational program that receives particular emphasis is the Robotics Laboratory Program. Engineers are trained in cooperation with the nearby University of San Jose Recoletos. One of the reasons that the Philippines has few engineers is the lack of proper machinery equipment at universities. In response, Cebu Mitsumi provided equipment for the university campus and established the Mitsumi Robotics Lab in cooperation with the university. Company employees use these facilities and the plant to provide practical training to students. The result is the training of extremely high-level engineers such as students who worked together to create a robot that uses AI as their graduation project. To date, 452 students have participated in this program, and some of them have come to work for Cebu Mitsumi. The company also trains university instructors on the use of state-of-the-art facilities, contributing to raising the educational level throughout the university as a whole.

Jeremiah Badana, OIC (Officer-in-Charge) and Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of San Jose Recoletos, expressed his gratitude for the company's activities: "We are extremely grateful for the equipment and other support that we have received from Cebu Mitsumi. The students are able to have direct contact with the latest equipment and technologies, and this provides considerable motivation. I look forward to maintaining the good relationship between the University and Cebu Mitsumi."

The company conducts various other activities in the local community such as seashore cleanup programs, blood drives, and emergency support in disaster areas. Augusto commented on the response to these activities, "We will continue to contribute to the region as a whole with the aim of being the company that employees feel proud of and that is welcomed by the local community."

Mangroves planted with support from Cebu Mitsumi

A classroom donated to Santican National High School

Employees running in the Run for Education charity marathon

Comment from a Member of the Local Community

Comment from a Participant in the Robotics Laboratory Program