Corporate foundations to hold 2027 convention in Davao City on disaster resilience

The League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) has picked Davao City to host its 2027 convention, which will focus on helping Mindanao's farms, fisheries and other industries withstand disasters before they strike, Edge Davao reported.

The gathering is set for February 3 and 4 at the Northtown Pavilion under the theme "Raising the Bar, Together!" It aims to bring corporations, foundations, local governments and community groups together to move the region from disaster relief to lasting resilience through corporate citizenship efforts.

"Relief matters after a disaster, but resilience has to be built before the next one," said LCF Chairperson Shem Jose Garcia. He added that Mindanao's farmers, fisherfolk and small businesses should be able to recover faster, which he said requires the corporate and public sectors to work on the same measures.

According to the report, the convention will focus on preparedness, sustainable livelihoods, education, skills development and social protection systems. It will also showcase programs that other sectors can replicate.

The event will include the LCF Medal of Recognition, which honours corporate citizenship by businesses, enterprises and foundations that are not LCF members. The award covers seven areas: disaster resilience, arts and culture, education, enterprise development, environment, financial inclusion and health. Projects carried out between January 2025 and December 2026 are eligible.

The convention comes after a string of disasters in Mindanao, Edge Davao noted. These include twin earthquakes off Davao Oriental in October 2025, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake off Balut Island and Sarangani on June 8, 2026, and severe flooding in BARMM and SOCCSKSARGEN a month later from monsoon rains intensified by Typhoon Inday. Agriculture and fisheries were among the hardest-hit sectors.

The report also pointed to climate risks long considered remote for Mindanao, once seen as outside the typhoon belt. It cited Tropical Storm Sendong in 2011 and Typhoon Pablo in 2012, as well as warnings from PAGASA that rising sea levels could push saltwater into coastal soils and freshwater aquifers, threatening drinking water and farm productivity.