(For Caltex advertorial)

(For Caltex advertorial)

Caltex's more than half a century of contribution

A red elementary school cap is depicted in a television commercial with a line underneath: "The hat of the president." Maybe someday the owner of the cap might really become the country's president. Based along the same lines as the dream, PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia (Caltex) built the first senior high school (SMA I) in 1954 in Pakanbaru in the province of Riau. The dream of leadership was later realized when one of the school's alumni, Saleh Jasit, became the governor of the province, while many others have achieved various high status. Today SMA I is still standing and every year accepts hundreds of students.

The establishment of SMA I in Pakanbaru was one of the earliest foundations of Caltex's Community Development (CD) programs that have been continuously maintained until now. The CD programs have been closely connected with the philosophy of a former president director of Caltex, the late Julius Tahija. Holding the positions of managing director and chief executive officer of Caltex in 1966, he was the first Indonesian to head the country's major multinational mining company. The essence of his philosophy was clearly mentioned in his book, Melintas Cakrawala (Crossing the Firmament), like the following lines: " A company can survive only if it fulfills the social needs, while, on the other hand, it can only do that if it is economically solid."

It was Tahija's deep concern for social needs that prompted Caltex to initiate various CD programs in the 1950s when other companies had not even considered them. At that time, as Riau province did not have sufficient infrastructure, most of Caltex's CD programs were focused on building physical facilities in the region, for example the 180-kilometer Pakanbaru-Dumai road in 1959 and the Siak I Bridge in 1977, both of which opened up the eastern part of Riau province and boosted the entire region's economy.

To match society's needs and regional development, Caltex's CD programs today focus on three major areas: health, education and increased earnings of community members. The programs simultaneously take care of other fields, such as art and culture, youth development and sports, infrastructure and include other programs related to enhancing the community's economic development.

In the implementation of its CD programs Caltex is not alone. The company's employees and their families also actively participate in the programs. In 1995 Caltex's employees established the Caltex Employee Foundation (YDBKC) with local and expatriate employees as its members, who voluntarily donate money from their monthly salaries. The money raised has been used to assist the surrounding community in various ways, such as awarding scholarships, funds for preparing dissertations and paying for the rejuvenation of Meranti Pandak village in Pakanbaru.

The employees' initiatives are not only channeled through this foundation or various bodies within the company, as some of them contribute individually. For example, expatriate employee Bill S. and his wife Diana have been paying the education costs of two university students -- residents of Duri area -- in Jakarta and Bandung for the past year or so. "We admire their enthusiasm and their strong will to continue their education to get good jobs. That's why we help them so that they have a better opportunity to achieve their dreams," Bill said.

Bill, who will finish his assignment this year and return to the United States, intends to continue helping the students until they complete their studies. Besides Bill, many other employees -- both local and expatriate -- contribute in the fields of education, housing and health.

The involvement of Caltex and its employees in community development programs is very much in the spirit of the values the company believes in. One of them is partnership, which is meant to enhance the surrounding community's quality of life.

Today, for more than 50 years, numerous Caltex CD programs have been consistently implemented based on the company's philosophy and values. In 2001, 47 years after building SMA I in Pakanbaru, Caltex established Politeknik Caltex Riau to prepare people for the workforce. This further proves the company's consistent commitment to the betterment of its community. It seems a probable dream that one day out of the numerous students attending SMA I or the polytechnic or those receiving scholarships from Caltex employees one might emerge as the nation's president.