Baslay brews better life, awards for ‘kaingineros’The Baslay coffee program is one of the most successful initiatives of Energy Development Corporation’s (EDC) BINHI.

Operated by the Baslay Farmers Association (BFA) in Dauin, Negros Oriental, three generations of farmers have learned the value and income potential of taking care of the forests that take care of them.

Through EDC’s intervention, Baslay’s forest is now refuge to 113 species of birds aside from being one of the primary sources of quality robusta and arabica in Central Visayas. More importantly, the former kaingineros (slashand-burn farmers) have become masters of interplanting coffee with native tree species.

BFA is the first farmers’ association in Negros Oriental to produce premium and quality organic coffee recognized by globally trained baristas from various parts of the Philippines. To enable more people to savor the taste of its delicious coffee, BFA opened its own coffee shop, Highland Brew Coffee, near the Baslay hot spring in 2018.

Baslay is EDC’s most awarded CSR endeavor, having recently won the Gold Standard Award for Corporate Citizenship (Community Relations) in the 2020 Gold Standard Awards last December. Over 100 senior practitioners judged the entries in the program organized by PublicAffairsAsia in collaboration with the Public Relations and Communications Association and the International Communications Consultancy Organization. Baslay bested entries from Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Also in December, it earned the distinction of being the outstanding CSR Program for Enterprise Development from the CSR Guild, an award-giving body organized by the League of Corporate Foundations.

Baslay received the top Grand Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines in March 2020 and a Lopez Achievement Award (Public Responsibility) in 2018. (Story/Photos by: F. Ariola)