Our projects

We do our share as responsible corporate citizens by, among others, volunteering in community work, helping protect the environment, supporting quality education, providing discounted or pro-bono professional services to community organizations, and giving donations in cash or in kind to victims of natural calamities.

We’ve been a proud signatory to the UN Global Compact since 2002, and are committed to operating responsibly in line with its ten principles.

PwC has made a worldwide science-based commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. The commitment includes supporting our clients in reducing their emissions as well as reducing those from the PwC network’s operations. We will decarbonize our operations, including our travel footprint, and neutralize our remaining climate impact by investing in carbon removal projects. We will also engage with our suppliers to help them tackle their own climate impact.

We have committed to reduce our total greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in absolute terms by 2030.

This includes switching to 100% renewable electricity in all territories, as well as making energy efficiency improvements in our offices and halving the emissions associated with business travel and accommodation within a decade. In FY20, emissions associated with flights alone represented around 83% of our total carbon footprint (FY19: 85%).

We continue to support a range of high-quality carbon reduction projects. These projects not only reduce carbon emissions, but allow us to take responsibility for our impact. The projects we are helping to support have collectively impacted over 4.3m people, protected or restored 539,000 hectares of land, and created over 1,820 new full time jobs. Find out more about our offset projects.

Our net zero commitment builds on work we have been doing to drive down emissions. In October 2018 we committed to drive efficiencies, go 100% renewable, and offset 100% of our air travel emissions. We have made significant progress towards that goal, in part as a result of the response to COVID-19. With our entire workforce working from home at various stages throughout the year, we have seen our Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduce by 14% and 25% respectively. Air travel is our largest source of carbon emissions, and as expected, we saw a reduction – 29% – in our Scope 3 emissions from last year due to COVID-19 restricting both domestic and international air travel.

In FY20, we purchased 71% of our electricity from renewable sources, which supports our goal of becoming 100% renewable by 2022 across our 21 largest territories (FY19: 65%). The greatest environmental impact from operating our business comes from the energy we use to power our offices and air travel. We report annually on the areas of our environmental impact that are most material to PwC, namely Scope 1, 2 & 3. Because our reliance on natural capital is small compared with many other industries, we have not aligned our global reporting against the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and do not report on our consumption of fresh water and land use.

PwC Philippines is a member of PDRF. In particular, our firm is assigned under the Early Recovery (Finance) Cluster, which is tasked to rapidly restore financial services after a disaster, identify policies and procedures that can be pursued to improve the process flow during disasters (e.g., advocate for relaxation of regulations in relation to filing of insurance claims), and identify necessary assistance needed to restore services.

PwC Philippines Chairman and Senior Partner Alex Cabrera begins his term as a member of ARISE-Philippines Board of Directors in September 2020. ARISE-Philippines’ vision is a resilient, prosperous future where fewer lives are lost to disasters, capital assets and investments are risk-informed, and infrastructure is resilient to natural and man-made hazards. (ARISE stands for the UNDRR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies.)

Plastic Credit Exchange enters into a cooperation agreement with PwC

On 30 September 2020, we entered into an agreement with Plastic Credit Exchange (PCEx) to provide a framework for cooperation and facilitation between PCEx and its partner companies, enabling them to purchase audited plastic credits to offset their plastic waste.PwC pledged to assess PCEx's plastic crediting procedures, identifying areas of improvement and ensuring they consistently adhere to the principles detailed on the Plastic Neutral Pact, the first known open standard for plastic neutrality released by PCEx earlier in the year.

Our CR team, in partnership with Calawis Punlaan Bayan Inc. (CPBI), led the firm’s employees in establishing a tree-planting site in Barangay Calawis in Antipolo City. To date, our employees planted 535 trees. They also installed the PwC Forest marker at the site to mark our support in protecting the environment. The PwC Forest project involves reforestation farming that encourages the community to continue propagating native trees and foster sustainable livelihood for farmers in the Marikina Watershed.

Consultancy Clinic for POs of Marikina Watershed in Antipolo

The firm opened its doors to members of 11 people’s organizations (POs) in the Marikina Watershed to hold a session on bookkeeping and taxation. Volunteers from Assurance and Tax gave insights on how to manage books and broaden their understanding of withholding tax, among other topics.

The Green Challenge is an opportunity for everyone to contribute to our firm’s collective share for the environment, in line with PwC’s goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The Green Challenge is designed to help develop eco-friendly habits in a fun way, with ten interactive sustainability challenges to let employees learn about sustainability and how choices impact the environment.

Green Week is an annual online and offline activity that lasts for a week. It aims to make employees think Corporate Responsibility and focus on environmental stewardship. During Green Week, email blasts from the CR team were sent discussing different topics in solving environmental challenges. It also aims to share the firm and PwC network’s initiatives in mitigating our environmental impact and carbon footprint. Employees were also encouraged to actively participate in online discussions and sign up to the activities lined up for the entire week.

Earth Hour and ‘Lights out’. Every year the firm takes part in celebrating Earth Hour and encourages its employees to turn off non-essential lights or gadgets for an hour. Submission of photos and other social networking sites and Earth Hour email signatures were some of the activities done to promote this event. Our own little way of conserving energy and reducing carbon footprint is to turn off lights during lunch time, from noon to 1pm.

The “Seat of Hope” Project is a corporate responsibility project of Isla Lipana & Co. geared towards education. Done through the Isla Lipana Foundation, the project aims to help address the shortage of comfortable classroom chairs in selected public high schools in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. Every year, many students in the public high schools receive their lessons either sitting on the floor or on dilapidated chairs. By providing quality school chairs they can comfortably sit on, the “Seat of Hope” Project aims to give students a better and conducive environment for education.

Seat of Hope project repurposes for the New Normal in education.

Isla Lipana & Co. Foundation, Inc.’s flagship project, Seat of Hope, which provides chairs to public schools, was repurposed as a result of the pandemic.

The Foundation, as the firm’s corporate responsibility arm, initially donated under the new normal a photocopying/printing machine and paper to Inchican Elementary School in Silang, Cavite. The school filed their request with the Department of Education’s Adopt-A-School program.The printed teaching modules, assignments and other learners’ materials are earmarked for 715 students.

The Seat of Hope (SOH) is a flagship program of the Foundation, which originally aimed to address the shortage of quality school chairs in public elementary and high schools nationwide, especially in calamity-stricken areas.

From 2010 up to 2017, the SOH has donated 3,998 chairs to 29 schools all over the country covering eight regions, including the National Capital Region. Since the last report, the Foundation has donated an additional 1,050 school chairs to eight schools.

We journeyed through the North and participated in the spirit and joy of giving through a series of Seat of Hope turnover ceremonies and Christmas Outreach to schools affected by Typhoon Lawin in Isabela, Cagayan Valley and Baguio City, all happening in three days.

We also donated 100 chairs and five electric fans to a school in Malabon City, just in time for the start of classes. The desire to give did not end there as we traversed more rough roads and crossed rivers in order to donate school chairs to students in the provinces of Isabela, Tarlac and Negros Occidental.

Isla Lipana & Co. Foundation provides scholarships to less privileged but deserving Accountancy students and graduates reviewing for the CPA Board. The grant covers the scholar’s tuition, book subsidy and stipend up to their enrolment in reputable review schools.

Since it started the scholarship program in 2011, the Foundation has assisted about 40 scholars from seven universities in Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Leyte and Iligan. Half of them become employees of the firm, with nine who are still connected.

The Foundation believes in investing in education and targets to increase the number of its scholars to 25. This way, more deserving students are assured of an opportunity to realize their dreams of a better future. The Foundation also aims to widen the reach of its recruitment into more provinces, such as Cebu and Bacolod.

Volunteers of the firm have worked in Habitat for Humanity home construction. The 1K for 1 Day Youth Build saw a number of our people building houses at the Habitat for Humanity housing site in BayaniJuan in Calauan, Batangas in May 2011. Isla Lipana & Co. also sponsored the launch of "I Build... What will you build" which is a four-year CSR initiative of Habitat for Humanity in the Philippines.

In May 2012, our people volunteered in an Asia Pacific-wide Habitat for Humanity event called “Youth Build Asia Pacifc 2012”. They were part of the 2,000 house-builders who helped build 200 homes in the Navotas Relocation Site in Barangay Tanza, Navotas City. Isla Lipana & Co., in celebration of its 90th Anniversary in June 2012, also donated two housing units worth PHP320,000 to this build event. The houses were turned over to families that lost their homes to Typhoons “Pedring” and “Onyok” in 2011.

Our people have visited Aeta villages in Bamban, Tarlac to teach indigenous people basic Math and some livelihood projects. They also painted houses, distributed medicines, food, school supplies, clothing and slippers to the Aeta villagers.

In the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, we had volunteers join the “Volunteer Company for the Day” (VCD) program of the Philippine National Red Cross to help in their relief operations. Isla Lipana & Co. partners, managers and staff also donate resources to mission houses which tend to depressed communities and orphanages.

Our commitment to help victims of various calamities has been constant whenever and wherever our assistance is urgently needed. We run calamity fund drives that involves cash and in-kind donations, such as food, reusable clothing, medicines, blankets, etc.. We partner with media institutions and charity foundations which take care of distributing our donations to victims housed in evacuation shelters. We have assisted victims of some of the worst calamities that visited the country, among these: Typhoon “Sendong” in 2011; Typhoon “Pablo” and the so-called “flood without a name” in 2012; and Typhoon “Maring” in August 2013.

From the time when the Enhanced Community Quarantine for Luzon was announced, the firm started planning on how to help our healthcare frontliners who are stretched to their limits in battling the disease. They include doctors, nurses, other health professionals such as medical technologists and pharmacists, cleaning and maintenance services people, and security personnel.

On the week of 23 March, PwC Philippines distributed food packs and medical supplies across different hospitals in Metro Manila, where COVID-19 cases continue to be on the rise. We continued the donations throughout the following months.

PwC Philippines, through its Corporate Responsibility Team and the Isla Lipana & Co. Foundation, quickly mobilized its resources after Typhoon Rolly devastated large areas in Bicol, and after Typhoon Ulysses wreaked havoc to lives and properties in a number of regions in Luzon, including NCR in November 2020. Our relief efforts benefitted an estimated 1,000 families in Albay, Cagayan Province, Marikina City, Rizal Province and Isabela.

Across the network, we engage in a broad range of pro- and low bono projects that are conducted with the same combination of expertise and commitment that we put into our client work. This work spans support for small local charities through to national and global civil society organizations.

Isla Lipana & Co. has rendered professional services with much reduced billings or pro-bono services for non-government organizations, charitable institutions, civic organizations, and professional and humanitarian organizations. Our beneficiaries in the past include Bukas Loob sa Diyos Foundation, Opthalmological Foundation, FINEX Research Foundation, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Children’s Hour Philippines, and the CNDR.

Achieving work-life balance: Quality Work Hours (QWH)
Relieving the ‘busy’ during the busy season
Tourism with a Purpose (TwP)
Family Day: PwC values and First PwC Filmfest
Sportsfest
FUNtastic Friday

Achieving work-life balance: Quality Work Hours (QWH)

To give employees the opportunity for better work-life quality and protect our people’s health and well-being, this year, we introduced the Quality Work Hours (QWH) method. Employees are encouraged to start their work day early enough that they can end it no later than 8.00pm. Should the need to go beyond 8pm arise, approval is sought from their higher-ups. This allows employees to better plan and organize their work schedule and personal time.

Relieving the ‘busy’ during the busy season

Employees were given relaxation and stress management perks during the past busy season. The firm, again, commissioned VIBES (Visually Impaired Brotherhood for Excellent Services, Inc.) to provide dry back massage service to employees. For mental well-being, stress management sessions were held for employees to learn the causes of workplace stress and ways to better manage it.

Tourism with a Purpose (TwP)

For four years and counting, we have encouraged our employees to plan their group summer travel by including a corporate responsibility activity in their travel destinations. Whether it’s for the people, the place, or the environment, our people have left a lasting mark. Past activities include donating school supplies and hygiene kits to children, feeding program, book donation drive, basic accounting and bookkeeping session with rural folks, assistance to schools through the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela, and mangrove tree planting.

Family Day: PwC values and First PwC Filmfest

The last fiscal year’s fun-filled Family day had the theme, “PwC Pamilya, Palaro at Pelikula” and gathered employees and their families at the Ynares Sports Arena, Pasig City. Activities include an acting workshop for kids aged 4 to 14 years old, employee-run food stalls, inflatable play place for toddlers, and games. The event highlight was the first-ever PwC Film Fest and Awards Night, which featured PwC and Filipino values.

Sportsfest

To promote camaraderie, teamwork, and an active lifestyle, the firm organizes its annual Sportsfest where employees showcase their athletic skills and talents. Each department sends its best players to compete in basketball, volleyball, and table tennis, among others. Steering away from the usual inter-department format, players were teamed up with those from other departments.

FUNtastic Friday

To promote a non-sectarian celebration of Halloween, the firm mounts its annual FUN-tastic Friday. Held during the last Friday of October, FUN-tastic is a celebration of positivity and great possibilities where participants are encouraged to dress up as someone inspiring, like a favorite super hero or celebrity. Work stations are largely adorned with recycled materials. The activity pushes everyone to be creative and innovative while having fun.