Company’s Policies

Below are policies that support PSC’s aim to strengthen practices of good corporate governance within the organization.

Board Diversity

The Corporation shall embrace board diversity, as much as practicable, which is not limited in terms of age, gender, culture, skills, competence, and knowledge. As a matter of practice, there are 2 female directors and the directors of PSC have diversified business experiences in retail, finance, accounting, investment, banking, property, IT & communications.

Dividend Policy

PSC considers the benefit of its shareholders as one of its priority management policies. It aims to sustain revenue stream and progressive growth to further enhance shareholder value. PSC shall continue to return capital to shareholders through a sustainable dividend policy. Effective 2015, the Corporation intends to pay at least 20% of annual net profits by way of cash dividends. This considers future capital requirements and potential growth opportunities. The Board regularly reviews the dividend policy, including the frequency of distribution, taking into account all of the above. Payment of cash dividends was made within 30 days from the date of declaration and approval by stockholders of record.

Business Conduct or Ethics

Whistle-blowing (effective Oct. 1, 2013) – The policy applies to all employees of PSC and its subsidiaries, service providers and suppliers, their agents, and employees. It encourages the use of PSC’s internal mechanisms for reporting whistle-blowing matters in a responsible and effective manner. The main objective of the Whistleblowing Policy is to establish the proper channel for reporting violations of the Code of Conduct and Business Ethics and other related policies and procedures. An independent committee known as the Committee on Conduct is tasked to handle reports of such violations.

Illegal/unethical conduct shall be reported in writing either anonymously or otherwise depending on the whistleblower’s discretion. Modes of reporting can be through a letter, e-mail, or other means established by the company. All reports are treated with the utmost confidentiality. To report an incident any person may access the PSC Website and accomplish the form in the link below http://form.jotform.me/form/51722732610447. The Committee on Conduct shall review the report of the whistleblower and shall evaluate the merits of the complaint according to circumstances, time of reporting, evidence, violation of procedure, and policy. The whistle-blower shall be informed of the decision of the Committee. Appropriate action shall be taken against the persons found to have committed any illegal/unethical conduct. PSC provides appropriate protection from retaliation as provided in this policy and in the PSC’s Employee’s Handbook.

Insider Trading (Trading Block-outs) (effective January 1, 2013) – Policy restricts the trading of shares by PSC directors, executives, officers, and employees who possessed material non-public information from taking advantage of the same, to the damage of the Company and the investing public. Covered persons are prohibited from trading within five (5) trading days before and within three (3) trading days after the submission of structured and non-structured disclosures. Any transaction involving corporate shares done must be reported to the Corporate Secretary within three (3) calendar days from the trading day.

Conflict of Interest (effective August 1, 2011) –To safeguard transparency and fairness in all its corporate dealings and at the same time to see to it that all transactions uphold the best interest of the Company, all employees are required to dissociate themselves from any engagements that may compromise the company’s interest and should there be any appearance of conflicting interest, disclose the same to proper authorities in the Company.

Anti-Corruption Programs and Procedures- PSC’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics was drafted to strengthen its commitment towards Corporate Governance and to provide thorough guidelines for the actions of employees. In this regard, it developed policies on the following to uphold ethics in business dealings and transactions: 1. Limitations on Participation in Company Sales Promotion, 2) Conflict of Interest,3) Employment, Placement, and Transfer of Relatives, 4) Foreign and Local Business Travel, 5) Employee Promotion for Section Managers and Above & 6) Whistle-Blowing. With these policies set in place, employees are informed and required to follow the rules and regulations both from the government and from the company and to steer clear from any covert or overt acts of bribery. They are also advised to avoid solicitation and acceptance of gifts of high value (usually Php 2000 up) from business partners and/or suppliers. Rules and guidelines in granting travel allowance and/or reimbursement of expenses incurred for official business trips made locally or abroad are also provided. Promotion of employees to Section Managers and above are also standardized. In addition, a Whistle Blowing Policy was set up to provide channels for reporting violations of the Code of Conduct and Business Ethics and the mechanism for its investigation and appropriate action. PSC is also a signatory to the Integrity Pact and a participant in Integrity Summit Fora.

Related Party Transactions (effective November 1, 2004) – Policy on RPTs ensures that all company dealings are done at arms’ length basis, that is, these transactions are priced in such a manner similar to what independent parties would normally agree. All transactions involving related parties require disclosure in the audited financial statement. On the other hand, all related suppliers are mandated to undergo accreditation and approval by the Purchasing Committee. The Audit Committee, chaired by an Independent Director, assists the Board in reviewing RPTs to make sure that they are consummated with only the best interest of the Company in mind.

Material Related Party Transactions (effective October 24, 2019) – The policy establishes the review, approval, and reporting of Material Related Party Transactions (MRPT) which may be entered into between or among PSC or any of its subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, and other related parties, taking into account its size, structure, risk profile and complexity of operations. The policy also sets the materiality threshold for MRPT.

Policy and Data Relating to Health, Safety, and Welfare of Employees – We value our employees and their contribution to achieving corporate objectives. We respect their rights to self-organization, safe working conditions, and work-life balance. Compensation and incentives are determined on the basis of annual performance and achievement of targets. Training and development programs are regularly provided across all levels. Employee satisfaction surveys for all position levels are being conducted annually.

As of December 31, 2018, the Company has a total of 3,166 direct hires and augments its temporary needs during peak hours or season in the stores and the support services units with cooperative members. There is no existing labor union in the company and collective bargaining agreement. There is a PSC Employees’ Council that communicates to management the employees’ concerns. There has been no strike or threat to strike from the employees for the past three years.

The Company provides supplemental benefits or incentives to its employees such as retirement benefit plan, health card group life and accident insurance plan, various employee programs, and recognition of top performing employees and service awards among others.

Recognizing the need of employees for growth, training, and development programs are regularly provided by PSC across all levels. For Senior Management and Officers, the company conducts a Leadership Academy & Mentor’s Leadership Training Program with the objective in line with the Company’s succession planning program. In-house training on leadership skills, products, basic negotiation, change management, retailer initiative, and basic operating and quality assurance procedures are also provided by the Company to employees. These are offered periodically based on the annual training calendar every month or quarterly. In-house training is designed to augment and develop the employees’ skills and competencies. Below is the list, schedule, and number of participants in the 2018 trainings.

TRAININGS CONDUCTED	SCHEDULE	# OF PARTICIPANTS
A. Execution Level
1. Skills Training for Operations Management Trainee Program (OMTP)	Monthly	1591
2. Product Training	As requested	1312
3. Quality Assurance Certification	As requested	2348
B. Specialist Level
1. Area Manager Training Program	Quarterly	86
2. Leadership Training	3 courses / As scheduled	530
3. Basic Negotiation Skills	Quarterly	20
4. Training the Trainers	Every 2 months	25
6. Retailer Initiative	Quarterly	23
8. New Employee Training Program (NETP)	As necessary	43

To know more about our in-house training and wellness programs for employees, visit the following links:

In-house trainings
Employee Welfare Program

Safeguarding Creditor’s Rights

Reportorial Compliance (effective January 1, 2014) – Seeks to ensure that reportorial compliance reports required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), and other regulatory agencies are submitted on time for eventual disclosure for the benefit of the investing public. It establishes among others a mechanism for close coordination between concerned departments in the preparation, publication, and submission of the said reports and other disclosures of vital corporate information.

Suppliers/Contractors Selection Practice

Accrediting Suppliers of Non-Trade Goods and Services – By requiring suppliers to undergo a stringent accreditation process, PSC strives to ensure that non-trade goods and services to be purchased or used are of good quality yet geared towards cost reduction efforts of the Company. Quality of the goods and services, pricing and trading terms, payment conditions, and distribution channels are some of the criteria set by this policy for accreditation of suppliers.

Those undergoing the accreditation process must also maintain the same standard and quality of non-trade goods and services they will provide throughout the duration of the accreditation process. Accreditation is valid for one (1) year from the date of acceptance; thereafter supplier/s may file for re-accreditation.

Food Suppliers Processing Plant Evaluation and Accreditation (effective November 15, 2004) – As a retailer, we strive to provide fresh and quality food. All suppliers are subject to regular inspection by 7-Eleven buyer/merchandiser Manager and a quality control specialist. A supplier’s processing plant is evaluated based on standard requirements and criteria such as good manufacturing practices, sanitation, and product quality control.

Guidelines on Food Processing Plant Audit for 7-Eleven Inspectors (effective November 15, 2004) – provides for the sanitary requirements, food standards, and quality control procedures for food processing plant suppliers.

Customer’s Welfare

To maintain customer loyalty and retention, PSC focuses on its customers by providing excellent customer service. It also continues to improve the quality of products by providing a variety of its offerings to meet consumer demands. It constantly innovates its in-house brands and products to cater to the needs and wants of consumers by taking into consideration the season when to offer.

For 2016, PSC adds more Filipino favorites in its assortment for meals such as Pork Sinigang and Pork Binagoongan for Chef Creations, Shortganisa, and champorado among others. This provided customers a wider array of choices for their on the go meals. The company continuously offers different promotional activities and events. In addition, PSC also launched CLIQQ Messenger. Through this, customers can register their mobile numbers, activate their account, update their points and redeem rewards without the need of downloading the CLIQQ Application.

PSC also engages a third-party provider that conducts a Mystery Guest Program, to assess store performance as including customer service. The third-party rates stores cleanliness, product quality, store image, assortment, and customer service. As of Dec. 2016, PSC had an overall score 88%, with product quality and cleanliness having the highest rating.

Customer concerns are also addressed through PSC’s customer service hotline which is open for 24 hours or through the PSC website www.7-eleven.com.ph/customer-care where customers can relay their questions, concerns, or comments by filling out the form provided. Customers may also e-mail customercare@7-eleven.com.ph to relay their concerns.

Rendering Customer Service (effective April 1, 2003) – requires all store employees to provide customer service based on the standards set in the store operations manual. The policy provides for sanction and disciplinary actions in case an employee does not comply with the requirements in the manual.

The policies briefly described above are available for viewing and downloading through PSC’s intranet portal.

Practices

PSC provides new directors with copies of the PSC CG Manual, corporate documents and information, and policies. It conducts a business overview and provides an exposure tour of 7-11 stores and a trade check of other retail business formats. It also provides recent trade analysis or industry benchmarking together with recent industry surveys. This is in addition to the CG training required each year by the SEC. The outline of this program can be viewed here:

Orientation Program for New Directors

Furthermore, PSC also provides continuing education on Corporate Governance (CG). Over the years, the board of directors and key officers have attended several CG training.

Recognition and Awards

PSC, together with its subsidiaries and key officers, has received recognition for its good governance practices. We view these awards as a reminder of our responsibility to our stakeholders to sustain the company’s growth and to further develop our governance practices guided by the principles of fairness, accountability, integrity, and transparency.

Corporate Awards

Corporate Governance

Institute of Corporate Directors

2019
● Top Performing Publicly-Listed Companies (PLCs) in the Phils. based on the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS) 2019

2018
● Top Performing Publicly-Listed Companies (PLCs) in the Phils. based on the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS) 2017

2011
● Silver Awardee – Corporate Governance Scorecard

Franchise

Entrepreneur Philippines

2013
● Top 5 Outstanding Franchise Companies
● Fastest Growing Franchise
● Best in Franchise Support

2011
● Hall of Fame

2010
● Best Foreign Franchise
● Fastest Growing Franchise
● Best in Franchise Support

2009
● Best Foreign Franchise
● Most Promising Franchise and Fastest Growing Franchise

2008
● Best Foreign Franchise and Best in Franchising Support

2006
● Best Foreign Franchise

2005
● Best Foreign Franchise

Philippine Franchise Association

2013
● Franchise Excellence Award

2008
● Franchise Excellence Award
● Franchise Marketing Campaign of the Year

2006
● International Franchise of the Year

Marketing

2011
● Digital Filipino – Social Media/ Location Base Category Winner (7-Elections)

2010
● Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) Gold BAGWIS – 83 stores
● Philippine Quill AwardsCreative Communication Award (7-Elections)
● Advertising Foundation of the Philippines Gintong Haligi Award for Social Marketing (7-Elections)

Corporate Social Responsibility – Philseven Foundation, Inc. (PFI)

2013
● Department of Social Welfare and Development -“PaNata Ko sa Bayan” (PANATA) Award – Best Volunteer.

To learn more about this award, visit the PFI website:

Recognition of Key Officers

Vicente T. Paterno, Chairman of the Board

2013
● Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. (RVR) Center for Corporate Social Responsibility Award for Nation Building

Jose Victor Paterno, President & CEO

2013
● CEO Excel Awards by International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)

2012
● Master Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 by Ernst & Young

2011
● Nominee, 10th Asia Business Leaders Awards by CNBC Asia