Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm HARI Foundation, Inc. (HFI), has partnered with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), to take its advocacy for education in environmental stewardship on a regional scale as the Philippine auto industry’s champion for biodiversity in the ASEAN region.

HFI will present the Hyundai Icon for Biodiversity award to ten (10) biodiversity heroes on August 7, 2017, at the New World Hotel Manila Bay; while HARI has assigned the Hyundai luxury van H350 to be the awardees’ official transport during their stay in Manila.

According to HFI President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, “We want to give the ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes a total experience of Filipino hospitality. By providing them a premium ride around the Metro, we take our ‘Mabuhay’ a notch higher.”

The ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes will serve as ambassadors of biodiversity conservation in the region and will be engaged in a series of public engagements aimed to inspire people to support and promote ACB’s advocacy. By recognizing and supporting the work of the ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes, HFI and ACB aim to spark a regional movement for government and businesses to shift strategies in order to support the global movement to save our planet.

“Proactive concern for Man and Planet is in the DNA of Hyundai, so our support for ACB’s noble cause is certainly in-sync with HARI’s thrust to connect better with the hearts of our customers. Do you want a cleaner and greener environment? Join our cause. Let’s do it together! Gusto natin. Kaya natin. Sama tayo, tungo sa isang mas magandang kinabukasan para sa lahat,” declared Ms. Agudo.

The ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes is a program designed to recognize individuals who have contributed significantly to biodiversity conservation and advocacy efforts in their respective countries. Ten winners, representing the 10 ASEAN Member States—Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—will be proclaimed.

The ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes is also supported by the ASEAN Secretariat, Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the European Union (EU). ACB, an inter-governmental organization created by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to address the challenge of biodiversity loss in the region,  serves as the awards secretariat.