Honing bakers 

Under Kawiyagan (the Maranaon term for ‘livelihood’) program, Aboitiz inaugurated three newly-constructed bakeries and distributed 12 bakery kits to qualified Kilusang Pagbabago affiliated local groups and organizations in Iligan and Marawi through the Office of the Cabinet Secretary – Office of the Participatory Governance.

Each bakery kit contains a steel oven, bread racks, working table, dough roller, display shelf, delivery bicycle, and an initial supply of Pilmico Halal flour. The physical donation is supplemented by bakery training that would help beneficiaries sustain the enterprise.

Mother of five Jasmine Balt, one of the bakery kits beneficiaries speaks in behalf of mothers who have lost their income resources after the harrowing five-month-long siege.

“Kaya nagpapa-salamat ako sa Aboitiz atsaka sa Pilmico na binigyan kami ng ganitong training na bakery. Kung mabigyan po kami ng pagkakataon na magkaroon ng livelihood na bakery, napaka-laking tulong po sa amin, lalo na sa mga mothers na walang kabuhayan ngayon. (I am very thankful to Aboitiz and Pilmico for giving us this training. If we’ll be given the opportunity to have our own bakery as means of livelihood, it would be such a big help, especially for mothers who have no other source of income),” Balt said.

Meanwhile, Noni Lao, an evacuee from Raya Saduc, Marawi and another bakery kit beneficiary, said the horrendous experience continues to haunt her, leaving her hopeless at times. “Di ko alam paano kami naka-survive. Gaano ka-rich sa Marawi noon, pare-pareho na kami ngayon, Walang rich, walang poor. Lahat poor. (I don’t know how we survived. No matter how rich you were in Marawi then, we are all the same now. No one’s rich nor poor. Everyone is poor.),” Lao shared.

Yellow corn farmers

Aboitiz forged a partnership with non-stock non-profit Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship’s GoNegosyo to mentor some 200 Maranao yellow corn producing farmers and link them up to potential buyers.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures’ food subsidiary Pilmico and Aboitiz Foundation, together with GoNegosyo and Task Force Bangon Marawi, rolled out a three-year micro-entrepreneurship partnership program for internally displaced people in Balo-i resettlement area.

The idea is to train (through the Kapatid Mentor Me program) and initially finance these farmers. Once they pass the Pilmico corn quality standard, they will supply a portion of its yellow corn requirements for its various feeds products.

To date, the program has conducted several trainings including entrepreneurial mind-setting, values formation, marketing management, basic canvas model, basic accounting, financial management, and basic cooperative management.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Marawi program reveal about Aboitiz’s broader approach to corporate social responsibility?
The Marawi initiative demonstrates a model where CSR is integrated with core business operations — Pilmico’s flour and feeds supply chains — rather than being entirely separate from commercial activity. By combining immediate tangible support (bakery kits, equipment) with skills training and a direct route into Pilmico’s sourcing network, the program creates measurable, repeatable economic outcomes rather than one-time donations. This reflects the Aboitiz Group’s stated purpose of advancing business and communities simultaneously.

What is the Kawiyagan program and what was it designed to address?
Kawiyagan — the Maranao term for “livelihood” — is a post-conflict recovery initiative by Aboitiz and Pilmico targeting communities in Iligan and Marawi devastated by the 2017 Marawi siege. The program inaugurated three newly constructed bakeries and distributed 12 complete bakery kits to qualified organizations affiliated with Kilusang Pagbabago, channeled through the Office of the Cabinet Secretary. Each kit included ovens, bread racks, working tables, dough rollers, display shelves, delivery bicycles, and an initial supply of Pilmico Halal flour — along with practical bakery training to make the enterprise sustainable.

Who were the primary beneficiaries of the bakery kits and what did the support mean to them?
The bakery kits were distributed to internally displaced people — particularly mothers who lost their income sources during the five-month Marawi siege. Beneficiary Jasmine Balt, a mother of five, described a bakery livelihood as an enormous help specifically for mothers left without any income. Another recipient, Noni Lao, shared that the conflict erased economic distinctions overnight: regardless of prior wealth, everyone was left equally impoverished, making livelihood support a community-wide necessity rather than merely individual aid.

What partnership supported the yellow corn farming component of the program?
Aboitiz, through Pilmico and Aboitiz Foundation, partnered with non-stock, non-profit Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship’s GoNegosyo to mentor approximately 200 Maranao yellow corn producing farmers in the Balo-i resettlement area. The three-year micro-entrepreneurship partnership program was implemented alongside Task Force Bangon Marawi and included the Kapatid Mentor Me training platform, covering entrepreneurial mindset development, marketing management, cooperative management, accounting, and financial management.

How did Pilmico integrate the yellow corn farmers into its own supply chain?
The corn farmer program was structured with a direct supply pathway: once the Maranao farmers met Pilmico’s corn quality standards through training, they were able to supply a portion of Pilmico’s yellow corn requirements for its various animal feeds products. This approach — mentoring farmers into a verified supply chain rather than simply donating to them — created a commercially sustainable income stream for beneficiaries rather than a one-time charitable transfer.