The journey toward a sustainable world can often feel overwhelming, filled with complex goals, misaligned priorities, and massive global challenges. I recently had the privilege of attending a powerful virtual learning workshop on sustainability, hosted by BDO, and it showed us a very crucial truth: building a better future depends on our collective understanding and commitment to action.

As a mother, I dream of a vibrant world for my son; as a content creator, I feel the responsibility to drive awareness and truth; and as a Filipino, I know our collective resilience is the key to our country’s future. This is the heart of sustainability—creating a world where our children and future generations can meet their own needs, just as we meet ours today. Only better.

Decoding Sustainability: Where We Stand in the Philippines

The blueprint for a better world is called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 interconnected goals adopted by the United Nations to address global challenges like poverty, inequality, and climate change by 2030.

To ensure these goals are achieved, the framework is structured around five essential pillars—People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace, and Partnership—which are essential for connecting all the pieces—society, the economy, and the environment— so they support each other smoothly. These 17 goals are needed because they are a global commitment to addressing issues that transcend borders, ensuring that all human beings can enjoy  a life of fulfillment, while protecting the Earth for the present and future.

According to the latest Sustainable Development Report, the Philippines is making strides! We were ranked 87th globally in 2025, a significant jump from 98th in 2024. We are improving in areas like poverty reduction, health, education, and access to clean water and electricity. However, the gaps we face are the issues we grapple with every day, what with the current political challenges we are experiencing nowadays. We are pulled back by severe environmental imbalances—like deforestation, air pollution, and threats to our oceans, which lead to calamities like floods and landslides—and the persistent challenge of inequality, specifically in combating discrimination and ensuring we reach the most marginalized Filipinos, including our Indigenous Peoples, the elderly, and the poorest of the poor. While our country is making measurable progress, we need to have accelerated efforts, accountability, and a firm commitment to our country and the environment.

Taking the First Step: a Simple, but Impactful Action

Our speaker, Communications Officer of UP-CIFAL, Ms. Elle David emphasized that not all initiatives need to be grand. The most impactful thing to do is to take the first step to make sure that change is happening. If you’re doing something good for your community—no matter how small—you’re already having a direct impact on the SDGs. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “Today and everyday, let’s support and stand with young people in shaping a just and sustainable world, for people and planet“.  We are making the world a better place, so our children will have a better one. We, the “adults” of today, must lead the way, so that when our kids become adults, their lives are better and more sustainable. This starts with that first step.

Corporate Commitment: BDO’s Role as a Wayfinder

It was really inspiring to hear how industry giants like BDO are actively embedding sustainability into their core business philosophy. We know BDO for finding ways to help Filipinos with financial needs, and it’s great to see them apply that same commitment to our environment and community.

BDO is the country’s largest bank in terms of total resources, customer loans, deposits, assets under management and capital, brand and ATM network nationwide, with the largest distribution network, as well as also having international offices across Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Why does SUSTAINABILITY matter so much here our country? As a country on the Asia Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the Philippines ranks number 1 on the World Risk Index. We are highly vulnerable to earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis. Our sustainability is measured by how resilient we are as a nation. Because we are so vulnerable, our ability to sustain progress is literally measured by how quickly we bounce back from the next typhoon or earthquake. This is a massive challenge we face as a country, now with quite limited resources, some of which are often compromised. This is exactly when BDO comes in to make a difference.

BDO’s Initiatives: They Found Ways

Given its size and wide footprint, BDO realized their business touches upon all 17 SDGs, achieving organizational resilience by deeply integrating sustainability into everything they do. This commitment is brought to life through several key initiatives:

• Product Sustainability: Creating products and services that support sustainable goals by ensuring financial access for customers not just in cities, but also in provinces and remote areas, contributing to economic development.
• Sustainable Financing: Resources are channeled to finance environmentally and socially uplifting projects. This includes Green Financing (renewable energy, green buildings), Blue Financing (marine conservation, sustainable water), Social Financing (supporting essential services like employment and food security) and Orange/Gender Financing (gender-responsive products for women-owned/women-led enterprises and vulnerable groups).
• Disaster Response: BDO focuses heavily on the aftermath—helping communities recover quickly by rebuilding essential facilities like schools and rural health units.
• Human Capital: They develop their 47,000+ employees into “Wayfinders” with a sustainability mindset, ensuring that every decision, from a loan product to a customer relationship, contributes positively.
• Governance-based Contribution: Enhancing the country’s governance through accountability, transparency (public disclosure via sustainability reports), and integrity, sustaining business performance.

This is the key: When industry giants start, their impact is immediately felt and seen due to their dominance and resources. This visibility should inspire other companies, big and small, to follow through and collaborate, because the SDGs can only be realized through collaborative effort.

One SMALL BUT impactful step at a time

As a mother, content creator, and Filipino, I believe the biggest takeaway is this: everything is connected with everything else. The large-scale initiatives of BDO and the government’s progress must be met with our action—starting with the basic unit of society: our families.
Promoting everyday sustainability for every Filipino can be doable. We don’t need to feel pressured to launch a big project. We can start small by integrating simple, sustainable choices into our daily routine:

• Waste Reduction: Saying no to single-use plastics (no plastic straw, bringing tumblers and ecobags).
• The Power of Reuse: Embracing hand-me-downs and destashing (donating or selling) clothes and items.
• Conscious Consumption: Choosing to support local businesses that practice sustainable sourcing.
• Civic Action: Upholding accountability by questioning the government and demanding the service we deserve.
• Digital Advocacy: Using your voice and platform to to create content that simplifies and share accurate information about the SDGs, encourage dialogue, and promote sustainable choices to your audience that can easily be understood by the general public.

If we want to live a more sustainable life, we cannot simply rely on the government to do everything. Resilience means depending on our own capacity to make wise decisions and impactful actions. Because we can.

As a mother, my motivation is my son’s future; as a content creator, my tool is informed awareness; and as a Filipino, my strength is our shared resilience. Let’s support this movement by staying informed, sharing the truth, and making small changes count—for ourselves, for our community, and for a more sustainable Philippines.