Leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines assisted more than 160,000 people in 2020, diverting more resources to community health and sanitation projects in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the impact of COVID-19 on its business and the challenges of bringing out support to local communities due to safety, the Company continued its corporate citizenship campaign Holcim HELPS, which benefitted 164,913 individuals in 2020. Community Health and Sanitation projects accounted for 35% of total Holcim HELPS expenditures as the Company focused more on this area to help strengthen host communities against the disease. Infrastructure projects, which previously cornered the biggest allocation of the Holcim HELPS budget, slid to second in 2020 with a 26% share followed by Community Donations (21%), and Community Water Projects (11%).
Holcim Vice President for Communications Cara Ramirez: “Our Company remains committed to supporting in any way that we can the communities that have been home to our people and facilities for decades especially during challenging times such as 2020. As we grow our company, we will continue and strive further to support the sustainable development of our communities through the HELPS campaign.”
The centerpiece of this year’s Holcim HELPS campaign is on water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for schools and communities in partnership with the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) and the Manila Water Foundation. The initiative benefited 78,698 individuals in Bacnotan, La Union, Norzagaray, Bulacan), Mabini, Batangas, Lugait, Misamis Oriental, and Bunawan District, Davao City.
Another Holcim HELPS highlight was its donations to fight the COVID-19 pandemic that benefitted 45,901 community members and government and medical frontliners. For the next ten years, the company intends to help and an additional 1.6 million people.
Other Holcim HELPS highlights in 2020 were its partnership with the Manila Water Foundation to build 45 lavatories for an Aeta community at Sitio Monicayo, Mabalacat, Pampanga. In 2020, the company’s Davao Plant turned over its second water system project that will provide clean and safe water to communities in the Bunawan District of Davao City. Two hundred households will benefit once these artificial corals are deployed in the site to be selected.
Finally, more than 260 houses for families displaced by the conflict in Marawi were built in 2020 under Holcim Philippines’ partnership with the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to support the rebuilding of the city. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.
With cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental, and Davao, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions, Holcim Philippines is a reliable partner of builders in the country.
