Cover In good company: Vince Perez,
Emmeline Aglipay Villar, Sheila
Romero, Tootsy Angara, Jacques
Christophe Branellec, Ana
Lorenzana de Ocampo, Alice
Eduardo and Mike Huang
In good company: Vince Perez, Emmeline Aglipay Villar, Sheila Romero, Tootsy Angara, Jacques Christophe Branellec, Ana Lorenzana de Ocampo, Alice Eduardo and Mike Huang
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Jewelmer and Tatler welcomed a group of changemakers to exchange insights on sustainability while highlighting the challenges and opportunities that come with it
To spark meaningful dialogue on the pressing fight against climate change, Jewelmer and Tatler gathered a set of inspiring industry leaders in a forum titled “Sustainability and the Pearl”. Headed by Jewelmer CEO Jacques Christophe Branellec with Tatler representatives Irene Martel Francisco and Isabel Francisco, the forum proved profoundly enlightening with like-minded individuals and equally vocal advocates on the subject. The forum participants were Tootsy Angara, Alice Eduardo, Mike Huang, Ana Lorenzana de Ocampo, Vince Perez, Sheila Romero and Emmeline Aglipay Villar.
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The guests began with stories of what fuels their passion for the cause; for most of them, it was the sheer desire of ensuring a bright, comfortable future for their children. “I have a seven-year-old, and I would like him to grow up breathing clean air, drinking clean water, and really enjoying nature,” Romero said, echoing the thoughts of everyone present. As chairman of Globalports Terminal, she also extends this concern to the thousands of families affected by their ports in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
As Huang described the lack of urgency and concern for sustainability outside Manila, Perez raised the idea that environmental awareness and community initiatives must begin with early education. “I see a lot of kids, [including my own] nephews and nieces very attuned to sustainability because they’re going to inherit the environment,” he said. “Maybe initiatives must begin with early education. “I see a lot of kids, [including my own] nephews and nieces very attuned to sustainability because they’re going to inherit the environment,” he said. "Maybe they could create or join an environmental club in school, and we can empower them. Let them do their own volunteer work."
Branellec later delved into the role of businesses in promoting sustainability across their reach, citing how this has always been innate to Jewelmer’s ethos. He shared, “The pearl is really about protecting the marine environment, taking care of the communities and the people, so that they, in turn, may care for the oyster. The reward of that is we might harvest the South Sea Pearl, which is not necessarily the end result but a tool to perpetuate that cycle.”
In 2006, Jewelmer’s founders Manuel Cojuangco and Jacques Branellec also established the Save Palawan Seas Foundation, a non-profit organisation that supports hundreds of families through livelihood projects, education programmes and community development initiatives. “To have a view on sustainability without understanding the basic needs of people in those areas can be quite detached. But if you can find ways
to marry livelihood and sustainable practices, that’s really something that can carry forth for many, many years,” Branellec added.
De Ocampo affirmed this as someone who’s closely worked with local farmers since the beginnings of Wildflour, her homegrown chain of farm-of-table restaurants. So did Angara, who has recently been working with Tourism Promotions Board vice chairperson Marga Nograles on Kaayo, a clothing brand that empowers indigenous weavers. Eduardo, on the other hand, touched on corporate social responsibility as she said, “Human resources are the big capital. We should ensure their wellness, safety and livelihood [by doing our part] to improve the quality of life, create a productive community and mitigate poverty.”
With many concerted efforts of their own, the influential leaders around the table are strong proponents of enacting such change across their industries. The challenge that remains, aside from balancing sustainable and economic growth, is implementation at the national level, which is where the role of legislation comes in. Villar, former Justice Undersecretary, shared, “There are regulations that can be legislated to promote efficiency in [construction, or] eliminating single-use plastic in retail at a national scale, because that’s already an ordinance in a couple of cities. Things like these would just need a push from the government.”
As the event drew to a close, the fruitful discussion demonstrated that progress anchored on sustainability is possible, and that opportunities for collaboration and innovation abundantly surround us. The forum ultimately served as a call to action for all of us, so that we may work together and take bold leaps in order to create a better future for the next generations.
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