Here are the 2023 'Driven To Serve' award winners

In recognition to the “good deeds” that they have conducted, various mobility-related companies in the Philippines received 2023 “Driven to Serve” (DTS) awards from the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ).

The recipients of this year’s eight platinum honors were Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC), Honda Cars Philippines Incorporated (HCPI), Ford Group Philippines (FGP), and Trimotors Technology Corporation. For the year, SPMJ presented the Platinum DTS Awards in four categories: education and training, road safety, environmental protection, and community development.

The recipients of the awards are the following:

IPC’s Heart and Smile project (Education and Training)

IPC ‘s Heart and Smile project — which started in 2008 —was established in partnership with the World Vision Development Foundation and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The continuing program has already produced 351 graduates, 141 of whom were hired by Isuzu and its dealerships.

The said program identified trainees from the poorest communities in the Visayas region and provided its beneficiaries full scholarship that covers tuition, housing, and food.

Ford PH’s Auto Mechanic Scholarship program (Education and Training)

Since 2016, the Blue Oval's Auto Mechanic Scholarship Program has supported over 116 underprivileged youth who completed a 15-month course at the Don Bosco Technical Institute-Technical Vocational and Education Center (TVET) in Makati City.

About 70 percent of the graduates — who passed the Ford Standardized Training and Resource System Examination and are eligible to be first-level Ford technicians — are currently employed in various automotive dealerships. Some 30 scholars are enrolled in the 2022-23 program.

Ford PH’s Operation Better World: Building Healthy Communities (Community Development)

A continuing program since 2013, the Ford Operation Better World focuses on healthcare support for partner Gawad Kalinga Communities.

Aside from medical and dental missions as well as feeding programs, the program includes Healthcare Capacity Building Training, where women volunteers are trained on basic health, first-aid, maternal and child care.

About 284 volunteers were trained under the program and an average of five medical missions have been conducted annually.

HCPI’s Recycling of used Lead Acid batteries and used oil (Environmental Protection)

Done in collaboration with Bantay Kalikasan, HCPI has collected, recycled, and properly-disposed approximately 110,000 kilograms of used lead acid batteries and over 10,000 liters of used oils since 2017.

HCPI’s Teen Smart (Road Safety)

Being conducted with AISEC Philippines, the Teen Smart program (which began in 2004) was made to develop the youth’s road safety awareness and strengthen their sense of responsibility in reducing road accidents as pedestrians and future drivers. The training program includes classroom instruction on safe driving behavior and an experiential drive to improve understanding of how technology can enhance the safety of road users.

HCPI’s Innovation Contest for Senior HS (Education and Training)

The innovation contest (organized in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute) invites senior high school students to submit pitches that could address challenges in their respective communities through critical thinking, experimentation, risk analysis, engineering, and technical skills.

Aside from providing financial resources, Honda also participated in consultations and mentoring through various stages of the program.

TTC’s Key to serve more Filipinos-Bajaj firefighting vehicle (Community Development)

The company developed its three-wheeler offering to carry up to 400 liters of water to serve as a first responder and fire alarm verifier for densely-populated areas.

Since 2020, the company has donated 329 Bajaj three-wheeler units to serve as community service and frontliner responder vehicles, as well as for livelihood programs.

Photos from Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists

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