Love thy Neighbor
When Raymond Sesuca bought 1,900 kilos of produce, he didn’t just help the farmers, but several of NLR’s communities
Words by MARGA CONSTANTINO
Raymond Sesuca, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility of North Luzon Renewables and Northwind Power (NLR), was restless. The lockdown was a huge adjustment for him, since he normally spent most of his week going from house to house to meet the various stakeholders in their Ilocos Norte community.
Raymond couldn’t help worrying about how the pandemic was affecting the community. He thought of the frontliners who were ill equipped, and the townspeople who were in need. The NLR staff had been handing out face masks and disinfectants like alcohol, but it didn’t seem like enough for Raymond. What else could they do to help?
Cultivating hope
Raymond, who himself is a proud Ilocano, knew that the Luzon-wide lockdown was affecting the local farmers.
“The poorest of the poor, mga farmers na kapitbahay namin dito sa wind farm, could not go to the market [because] there are executive orders and municipal orders that prohibit them from going around, and bringing their products from the farm to the market. So at that time, ang daming fruits, ang daming vegetables, pero walang mabenta, di magawang pera kasi hindi sila makalabas. Halos masira na, maiyak-iyak ang mga farmers. ,” he explained.
Raymond bought 1,900 kilos of organic fruits and vegetables from 20 nearby farmers to give them income. This ensured that AC Energy employees had nutritious food at the staff house.
He also donated produce to frontliners in health centers and hospitals, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Philippine National Police in Padugpud. During one of his rounds, Raymond had noticed that frontliners had only junk food to sustain them. “Twenty four hours na nag-duduty, pagod na, at kulang pa sa pagkain,”he said. He knew that they could not continue doing their jobs without proper nutrition, especially since they were required to wear PPEs in the sweltering Ilocos heat. By donating the farmers’ surplus of fresh watermelons, melons, sweet potatoes, and various leafy greens to these frontliners, Raymond found a creative way to serve multiple stakeholders in his community.
#AyalaCitizen Diary: Raymond Sesuca creates an alternative logistics chain by buying over a thousand kilos of organic fruits and vegetables from nearby farmers left with no access to markets, and bringing these to AC Energy employees and to frontliners.
Kapitbahay
Raymond was determined to stay and help his community, even if it meant not seeing his family for months. He felt a deep empathy for the local farmers, not just because he came from a similar background, but because he really saw them as kapitbahay.
“Ang palaging posturing ng NLR at ng Northwind, ay kami yung kapitbahay na willing tumulong immediately kapag may pangangailangan. Kung may bagyo, man-made calamity, sunog o kung anuman, si NLR at Northwind ay ang palaging gustong takbuhan ng mga tao,” he proclaimed proudly.
““Kung may bagyo, man-made calamity, sunog o kung anuman, si NLR at Northwind ay ang palaging gustong takbuhan ng mga tao.””
As a one-man CSR team, Raymond draws from his real-life experiences to anticipate the needs of the locals on whom they depend greatly. He acknowledges that NLR and Northwind benefit from their symbiotic relationship with their communities, and that it is imperative that they serve the needs of the locals they work with, especially in today’s crisis.
Hometown
Raymond feels that he is where he is meant to be. His work with AC Energy’s Ilocos wind farms align perfectly with his passion for serving the Ilocano community. He’s come far in his career, and has found his place doing CSR in the region from which he hails.
Raymond’s job is not easy, but he is committed to his fellow Ilocanos. In fact, he said that if there were ever an opportunity for him to work in the Makati corporate office, he would turn it down—he knows that to be an effective, efficient, and productive CSR Manager, he would need to be on-ground to properly serve the locals. It’s not an easy job, especially in today’s pandemic, but he says, “iba talaga kung enjoy mo ang trabaho mo.” # — From interviews with Raymond Sesuca and Karen Seno
POSTED OCTOBER 23, 2020
