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Its transformative efforts were recently recognized at the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines’ 2nd Corporate Social Impact (CSI) Awards, where Aboitiz Foods and its food and agribusiness unit, Pilmico Foods Corp. (Pilmico), earned multiple accolades.
Pilmico’s flagship Project Silk received the coveted Impact Excellence Award—the highest honor of the event—alongside a Gold Award for Economic Empowerment and Livelihood Development.
The company’s Adopt-A-City Program was also awarded Silver for Community Impact and Civic Engagement.
“We are profoundly inspired by these recognitions, which affirm Aboitiz Foods' core belief: that creating lasting value must extend beyond the company to nourish the future of the communities we work with,” Pamela Lynne Liwag, Aboitiz Foods’ assistant vice president for brand & reputation management, said in a press statement.
“Our CSR initiatives are far more than just giving back; they embody our commitment to making a transformative, meaningful impact by cultivating a more sustainable future for generations to come.”
Strengthening livelihoods and agribusiness value chains
Launched in 2017, Project Silk has grown into a model for shared value and inclusive agribusiness, supporting more than 2,800 corn farmers across Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, and Tarlac.
The initiative ensures farmers’ long-term viability through training, market access, and enterprise strengthening.
At the center of Project Silk is a guaranteed market: Pilmico directly sources a portion of its corn requirements from partner cooperatives at fair, dependable prices.
Farmers are also free to sell remaining harvests to other agribusinesses, allowing them flexibility and income diversification.
One of Project Silk’s most significant milestones is the establishment of a post-harvest facility in partnership with the Iligan City government. The facility reduces crop loss, improves grain quality, and helps farmers consistently meet feed mill standards.
To date, Project Silk has generated over PP49 million in cumulative corn sales, contributing to a 1,500 percent increase in farmer revenues.
Beyond income, the program has strengthened confidence and entrepreneurship among farming communities—elevating livelihoods while reinforcing Aboitiz Foods’ mill-to-meal operations.
Public-private partnership for resilience
Aboitiz Foods’ Adopt-A-City Program—co-implemented by Pilmico, the local government of Iligan City, the National Resilience Council Foundation, and Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology—continues to drive progress in disaster preparedness and climate adaptation.
Since its launch in 2022, the program has raised Iligan’s resilience score to 84.38 percent from a near-zero baseline, leading to its recognition with a Gawad KALASAG Fully Compliant Award, the country’s highest honor for disaster readiness.
“What we are most proud of is that these programs are not just company-led—they are co-created with farmers, cooperatives, local governments, national agencies, NGOs, and community partners,” said Katrina Angelie Bayog-Mercado, Aboitiz Foods’ corporate social responsibility manager, in the same statement.
Shared progress in agribusiness
Anchored on its purpose of sustainably feeding Asia’s growth from mill to meal, Aboitiz Foods continues to demonstrate how agribusinesses can drive inclusive development.
Through initiatives like Project Silk and Adopt-A-City, the company is proving that when businesses and communities move forward together, long-term shared progress follows. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
