Ford Philippines for three years now has been a consistent podium finisher in the yearly award program that recognizes outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects of automotive manufacturers and distributors.
Ford once again led the winners’ circle in this year’s staging held at the Palms Country Club in Alabang last April 10. In the 3rd Driven To Serve Awards Night, Ford bagged two Gold awards, one for Education and Training, and the other for Road Safety.
In addition, the silver award for Community Development was given to Ford’s Operation Better World program, a global initiative, that in the Philippines had provided a source of clean drinking water to communities affected by super typhoon Yolanda.
Bagging three awards in one evening speaks volumes of Ford’s strong commitment to the spirit of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Its outstanding CSR programs that bagged the Gold DTS were the Automotive Technician Scholarship Program; and the Driving Skills For Life.
Ford’s scholarship program has graduated 48 scholars who took the 15-month course at the Don Bosco Technical Institute – Technical Vocational and Education Center (TVEC) in Makati City. The grant covers tuition fee, school supplies, miscellaneous and graduation fees. Graduates are employed by FG, and Ford dealerships.
The other Gold award was for the Driving Skills For Life (DSFL) program which aims to educate and upgrade the skills of Filipino drivers on the benefits of safe and smart driving.
The Driving Skills For Life has been a consistent top awardee because of its successful program. It was recognized with the highest Platinum award in the first and second DTS in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
In 2018, the DSFL, which is offered for free, trained more than 3,000 drivers in Luzon, Metro Manila, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo and Davao. Also, it added driving exercises to demonstrate the effects of distracted driving.
The DSFL is now on its 11th year and it has reached private motorists and public utility vehicle drivers.
What is significant with the Driving Skills For Life program is the structured method of teaching — from classroom lectures to hands-on driving exercises to demonstrate vehicle handling, distracted driving and to be familiar with the vehicle’s safety features.
In 2018, the program expanded to include drivers in Clark, Pampanga, Bacold and Iloilo. It has also conducted classes and demos to 700 Uber drivers in Manila and Cebu.
The Driven To Serve Awards, a project of the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ), aims to encourage and inspire automotive companies to continue doing good through their CSR programs.
Today, the many CSR programs of auto makers and distributors benefit communities by funding community development projects; upgrade the skills of drivers to contribute to road safety; provide free training and education to poor students whose lives are improved because of betters jobs; and help save the environment through reforestation and rehabilitation of rivers.
SPMJ, now on its 17th year, has the following projects — Early Warning, a teaching module on road safety; the Driven To Serve Awards which has recognized 48 outstanding CSR projects; and the SPMJ Forum, an interview with government and private individuals on topics that are related to motorists, roads and road safety.
Happy Motoring!!!
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