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October 2, 2015

Past Agora Advocacy Marketing awardee highlights need for corporate social responsibility

"Fifty Shades of Marketing Darker” is  this year’s theme for Agora Circle Conference to be held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom on October 21, 2015.

A company’s reputation is built on several cornerstones. More than integrity and a good record, another factor that shapes its identity is its dedication to corporate social responsibility. The importance of these venues cannot be understated, as they greatly shape a company’s identity through its commitment to the public.

Aniceto Sobrepeña
For three decades now, Metrobank Foundation has been committed to its mission of handing out awards to the country’s best teachers, police officers and soldiers as a way of recognizing their service to the country. This initiative has earned the foundation the first ever Agora Award for Advocacy Marketing handed out by the Philippine Marketing Association in 2004. 

Aniceto Sobrepeña, president of Metrobank Foundation, expressed that it was a big privilege for their foundation to be the first recipient of the prestigious award. “We were the first awardee for the category when it was introduced during the 25th anniversary of the Agora Awards.”

Sobrepeña is one of the 22 past Agora Award winners who will be sharing their experience and knowledge in marketing in the forthcoming Agora Circle Conference of the Philippine Marketing Association, which will be held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom on October 21, 2015.

The conference, a pre-event for the annual Agora Awards, will see past Agora winners discussing with conference participants their personal stories and what inspired them in creating their winning marketing strategies.

The Foundation was established in 1979 by George S.K. Ty, Metrobank founder and presently Metrobank Foundation Chairman, as a way of sharing the fruits of the bank’s success with the community.

Some of the endeavors the Foundation has been involved with include Manila Doctors Hospital-- which has become a model for healthcare in the country as it offered charity service and outreach missions to the less fortunate and scholarship grants for deserving medical students--, and the Young Painters’ Annual, which provided young artists with the artistic stimulation and offered an avenue to presenting their artworks.

However, it is with the launch of the Search for Outstanding Teachers in 1985 that Metrobank Foundation first came into public attention. The Search not only identified the country’s best mentors, but also promoted a culture of excellence with elementary, high school, and college teachers given the prize. 

The foundation has already recognized more than 300 teachers in the past 30 years. Other awards, namely The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers and Country’s Outstanding Police Officers in Service followed in 1999, wherein exemplary military personnel and police officers were recognized for their service to the country.

Sobrepeña said it was an honor for Metrobank Foundation to have been given the opportunity to be part of the subsequent selection of awardees in Advocacy Marketing.

“Metrobank Foundation will continue with these programs in a sustainable manner,” he said. “They remain the most coveted awards especially among our teachers in the Department of Education and the members of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”

This year’s Agora Circle Conference follows the theme “Fifty Shades of Marketing Darker.” Aside from former Agora winners, it will also feature some of the country’s best speakers, members of the academe, industry professionals and students discussing topics that are of interest to the local marketing industry. These include topics on branding, entrepreneurship, social responsibility, and technology. 

Visit www.theagora.ph for details and reservations. For information about the Philippine Marketing Association, visit philippinemarketing.net.ph.

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