Silent Initiative: Pedro’s Commitment to the Hearing Impaired

The reporting group presented the case “Silent Initiative: Pedro’s Commitment to the Hearing Impaired.” The case talks about Lamoiyan Corporation, a Filipino firm well known for producing personal hygiene products such as Hapee Toothpaste. It details the management style of its founder, Mr. Cecilio Kwok Pedro, who is well known for his Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of employing persons with disabilities (PWDs), particularly those who are hearing-impaired. Mr. Pedro advocacy was helping PWDs to earn decent wages by providing them jobs where other companies may be hesitant to do so.

In the Philippines, Republic Act No. 7277 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, which was passed in 1992, ensures that PWDs should be able to have equal opportunities for suitable employment as their able-bodied counterparts. The Magna Carta specifies that the State “shall adopt policies ensuring the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and shall develop their skills and potentials to enable them to compete favorably for available opportunities.”

In a discussion paper series published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) entitled “Employment of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Philippines: The Case of Metro Manila and Rosario, Batangas,” it was cited that “A number of policies, programs and services had already been implemented in relation to employment of PWDs. There have also been employment-related programs and services provided by the government to PWDs, which include the following: Tulong Alalay sa Taong May Kapansanan (TULAY) program, or Support services to PWDs, of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); Assistance package for PWDs of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); Philippine National Skills Competition for PWDs of the Technical, Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); Science and Technology Intervention for the Poor, the Vulnerable and PWDs of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).”

With these various programs and services that are in place, however, employment of PWDs is still limited. In the PIDS paper, it mentioned that education is a critical factor in gaining employment and that some PWDs are “vulnerably employed” or have jobs that have no security of tenure. The paper also suggests some interventions that the government may pursue to further encourage PWD employment.

It is in this context that Mr. Pedro and Lamoiyan Corporation should be recognized for their pioneering efforts and ethical business behavior in helping the PWDs in the country become participative members of the society by providing them gainful and secure employment.