Written by Ron Bartolay
On the afternoon of April 8, Rockwell Land Corporation and its six contractors—ASDEC Builders Corporation, Gloscore Philippines Construction, Inc., Ragojos Heritage Construction Corporation, Robros Incorporated, Smeg Philippines, Vonotec, Inc.—gathered to lay the groundwork for ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI)’s advocacies during the Deed of Donation signing and donation turnover event at The Lounge in The Rockwell Club, Makati.
ABS-CBN Foundation Managing Director, Roberta Lopez-Feliciano, enlivened the room by capturing the essence of collaboration, stating, “In Rockwell, you can choose to be part of the thriving and very connected community. At the Foundation, what we do is not too different. Instead of working with building materials, we work with information and change, making subtle yet incremental changes in attitude and behavior. We can only do this similarly with a lot of moving parts in people — partners like all of you, who believe in the same goals we have set for ourselves.”
In the photo (from L to R): Redentor Ragojos, Chairman of Ragojos Heritage Construction Corporation, Arch. Mary Regine Ragojos, Ragojos Heritage Construction Corporation; Raul Anthony ‘Ton’ Concepcion, President of Smeg Philippines; Engr. Raymundo Enriquez, Vice President of Gloscore Philippines Construction, Inc.; Engr. Gloria Correa, President of Gloscore Philippines Construction, Inc.; Roberta Lopez-Feliciano, Managing Director of ABS-CBN Foundation; Enrico del Rosario, Chairman of Robros Incorporated; Francis Clarete, Vice President of ASDEC Builders Corporation; Henri Muzzarelli, Managing Director of Vonotec, Inc.; Bernard Flour, Operations Manager of Vonotec, Inc.
As solid as the materials they work with, the gathering cemented the collaboration between AFI and these companies towards nation-building. Hand-in-hand, they stand united in championing AFI’s core advocacies dedicated to children’s rights and development, disaster resilience, education, environmental stewardship, and sustainable livelihood.
Under this common banner is also a network of like-minded individuals committed to their personal causes. Among these was Arch. Ragojos, who came with the interest of joining AFI’s programs and engaging directly with the communities it serves.
“We want to discover diving din. So, we want to see what the Foundation has also done in conserving these areas. Also, get in touch with the communities as well, and talk to them [about] how their lives have changed because of the help [that] they get from the Foundation,” expressed by Arch. Ragojos.
Ton Concepcion also shared tales of his deep connection to the sea, a bond that began in childhood and eventually led him to support the marine conservation of the Verde Island Passage. “We are thrilled to be part of the ABS-CBN Foundation. Firstly, I’m an avid diver. I learned to swim at the beach before I learned to walk. I spent most of my life in Batangas, and my hair was sun-bleached; I was a blondie. So, that’s my life. I’ve always been connected to the sea, and when we were invited to support Verde Island, which is the center of the center of marine biodiversity worldwide, I said, ‘wow, this is exactly the dream project we’ve always wanted to support,’” he expressed.
Although this marks their first collaboration with the Foundation, these companies demonstrate a shared sense of responsibility that resonates strongly with AFI’s missions. One of which is Gloscore Philippines, who pledged to be with AFI in the service of the Filipino.
“Giving some blessings that we have become our opportunity to be part of this Foundation. Also, it is our help to our co-Filipinos and all the projects that ABS-CBN Foundation is trying to project and do in the future,” affirmed by Engr. Correa.
The Foundation also expresses its sincere gratitude to Nestor Padilla, President of the Rockwell Land Corporation for making this event possible.
More than the amount of the donations, the event testified that true greatness isn’t found in the most towering skyscrapers, but in networks built upon the pillars of empathy and generosity.