Description
In the Philippines, Payatas carries the stigma of poverty, filth and tragedy.e place is best remembered for its infamous dumpsite, which claimed hundreds of lives when it leveled nearby slums in an avalanche of trash back in 2000.
TELUS International Philippines
supports Social Entrepreneurship
In the Philippines, Payatas carries the stigma of poverty, filth and tragedy. The place is best remembered
for its infamous dumpsite, which claimed hundreds of lives when it leveled nearby slums in an avalanche
of trash back in 2000.
Over a decade later, a nearby village paints a different picture. Residents no longer sift through trash;
instead, they dabble in textiles. Men print patterns on canvas, which the women then fashion into eco-
bags.
Welcome to Payatas 13, a village transformed by the power of social entrepreneurship.
For The People, By The People
Payatas 13 experienced a turnaround when Mike Go, a Gawad Kalinga social entrepreneur, launched
Trese back in 2008. The concept was simple: employ local residents, print shirts, and use the profit to
fund community projects. After securing a deal to become the official shirt printer of Gawad Kalinga,
TRESE’s product offering diversified with the addition of canvas eco-bags. In fact, the demand for bags
has now grown bigger than that of the other popular print shirts.
But while TRESE attributes its initial success to Gawad Kalinga’s orders, Go admits that it’s not enough to
sustain all of Payatas 13’s community projects. The real profit, he says, comes from corporate patrons
who share his vision. As word spread about TRESE’s philosophy of grassroots empowerment,
organizations with an inclination for philanthropy contacted Go to order company collaterals.
A Good Cause
Top call center and business process outsourcing services provider TELUS International Philippines (TIP)
has integrated TRESE products into its employee engagement initiatives. The company regularly
distributes recognition gifts to its team members. Sourcing from TRESE was seen as a way to add social
value to activities that reflect the company’s caring culture.
TIP President Jeffrey Uthoff says of this fruitful partnership: “TIP is aware of the tragic history of Payatas
and that’s what compelled us to invest on this partnership because we believe in the power of
transformation. Seeing Payatas 13 today gives us a renewed sense of hope knowing that we can truly
change the world for the better, one step at a time.”
“Seventy percent of our income comes from corporate organizations who partner with us and we are
thankful to TELUS for supporting us. We encourage everyone to visit us and see how the partnership is
positively affecting the lives of the members of the community,” says Go.
Aside from offering sustainable livelihood, TRESE also funds the construction and maintenance of
Payatas 13’s community facilities. To date, the company continues to fund Payatas 13’s health clinic, day
care center and village hall.
Changing Lives
The partnership with TELUS spurred further demand for TRESE’s products. To catch up with the orders,
TRESE recruited more local residents to work for the company. From just a handful of employees,
TRESE now provides above-minimum income for more than 30 residents and their families. On average,
they collectively produce around 700 eco-bags in a day.
Even the village’s lost youth have found purpose. Mark Paneda, who has no formal schooling, has now
found a way to be a productive member of his community as a printer for TRESE. “Dahil sa TRESE at sa
mga patron na tulad ng TELUS, hindi na ako patambay-tambay na lang (Because of TRESE and patrons
like TELUS, I’m no longer a drifter),” he claims.
Go says TRESE’s operations have changed the lives of a lot of Payatas 13’s residents. “They find
comfort in knowing that their hard work doesn’t just support their families, but their communities as well,”
he points out. “Right now, they’re just thankful for corporate patrons like TELUS who help make their
dreams a reality,” he ends.
doc_731992748.pdf
In the Philippines, Payatas carries the stigma of poverty, filth and tragedy.e place is best remembered for its infamous dumpsite, which claimed hundreds of lives when it leveled nearby slums in an avalanche of trash back in 2000.
TELUS International Philippines
supports Social Entrepreneurship
In the Philippines, Payatas carries the stigma of poverty, filth and tragedy. The place is best remembered
for its infamous dumpsite, which claimed hundreds of lives when it leveled nearby slums in an avalanche
of trash back in 2000.
Over a decade later, a nearby village paints a different picture. Residents no longer sift through trash;
instead, they dabble in textiles. Men print patterns on canvas, which the women then fashion into eco-
bags.
Welcome to Payatas 13, a village transformed by the power of social entrepreneurship.
For The People, By The People
Payatas 13 experienced a turnaround when Mike Go, a Gawad Kalinga social entrepreneur, launched
Trese back in 2008. The concept was simple: employ local residents, print shirts, and use the profit to
fund community projects. After securing a deal to become the official shirt printer of Gawad Kalinga,
TRESE’s product offering diversified with the addition of canvas eco-bags. In fact, the demand for bags
has now grown bigger than that of the other popular print shirts.
But while TRESE attributes its initial success to Gawad Kalinga’s orders, Go admits that it’s not enough to
sustain all of Payatas 13’s community projects. The real profit, he says, comes from corporate patrons
who share his vision. As word spread about TRESE’s philosophy of grassroots empowerment,
organizations with an inclination for philanthropy contacted Go to order company collaterals.
A Good Cause
Top call center and business process outsourcing services provider TELUS International Philippines (TIP)
has integrated TRESE products into its employee engagement initiatives. The company regularly
distributes recognition gifts to its team members. Sourcing from TRESE was seen as a way to add social
value to activities that reflect the company’s caring culture.
TIP President Jeffrey Uthoff says of this fruitful partnership: “TIP is aware of the tragic history of Payatas
and that’s what compelled us to invest on this partnership because we believe in the power of
transformation. Seeing Payatas 13 today gives us a renewed sense of hope knowing that we can truly
change the world for the better, one step at a time.”
“Seventy percent of our income comes from corporate organizations who partner with us and we are
thankful to TELUS for supporting us. We encourage everyone to visit us and see how the partnership is
positively affecting the lives of the members of the community,” says Go.
Aside from offering sustainable livelihood, TRESE also funds the construction and maintenance of
Payatas 13’s community facilities. To date, the company continues to fund Payatas 13’s health clinic, day
care center and village hall.
Changing Lives
The partnership with TELUS spurred further demand for TRESE’s products. To catch up with the orders,
TRESE recruited more local residents to work for the company. From just a handful of employees,
TRESE now provides above-minimum income for more than 30 residents and their families. On average,
they collectively produce around 700 eco-bags in a day.
Even the village’s lost youth have found purpose. Mark Paneda, who has no formal schooling, has now
found a way to be a productive member of his community as a printer for TRESE. “Dahil sa TRESE at sa
mga patron na tulad ng TELUS, hindi na ako patambay-tambay na lang (Because of TRESE and patrons
like TELUS, I’m no longer a drifter),” he claims.
Go says TRESE’s operations have changed the lives of a lot of Payatas 13’s residents. “They find
comfort in knowing that their hard work doesn’t just support their families, but their communities as well,”
he points out. “Right now, they’re just thankful for corporate patrons like TELUS who help make their
dreams a reality,” he ends.
doc_731992748.pdf