Ayala Foundation supports construction of 70-bed Siyapen Center
Ayala Foundation has partnered with the City Government of Marawi and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao for the establishment of a drug rehabilitation facility in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
To be called Siyapen Center (“siyapen” is the Maranao word for “care”), the 70-bed inpatient facility can also accommodate drug dependents undergoing outpatient care. It provides a space that encourages physical wellness and social integration. Located within the community, the center allows drug dependents to have better access to family and other forms of social support, which are crucial to their recovery. In addition, its proximity to a mosque opens up opportunities for spiritual counseling. The facility also allows for other therapeutic activities such as exercise and group sessions.
The Siyapen Center will occupy an existing building owned by the City Government of Marawi. Through Makati Development Corporation (MDC), the construction arm of Ayala Land Inc., Ayala Foundation will oversee the refurbishment of the structure, in keeping with the requirements for an efficient and humane drug rehabilitation facility.
MDC will work on the facility from January to April 2017. Once completed, the Siyapen Center will be turned over to the City Government of Marawi for operations.
“The Siyapen Drug Rehabilitation Center is our way of addressing another challenge Mindanao faces, and of responding to the national government’s call for private sector support in addressing the drug problem,” said Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation and co-chairman of Ayala Foundation.
“At Ayala, we have always believed that, whether in Mindanao or elsewhere in our archipelago, fostering inclusive development will always require collaboration between the government and the private sector,” Zobel de Ayala added.
“We believe that the Siyapen Center will contribute significantly to the treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependents in ARMM, primarily in Marawi City,” said Ruel Maranan, president of Ayala Foundation. “In building Siyapen, we hope to provide a space where person-centered recovery is made first priority, thereby paving the way for meaningful reintegration into society.”
The construction of the Siyapen Center is part of Ayala Foundation’s continuing development efforts in Mindanao, particularly in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
In 2015, the foundation kicked off the Basilan Young Leaders Program–Leadership Communities, in partnership with the ARMM Office of the Regional Governor and the Eisenhower Fellows Association of the Philippines. Working with community-based youth, the program equipped these young leaders with the leadership skills to develop, implement, and monitor projects that address urgent needs in their respective barangays.
In 2016, the program grew to cover 10 areas in ARMM, and transformed into the Bangsamoro Young Leaders Program–Leadership Communities (BYLP–LeadCom). The inaugural batch of BYLP–LeadCom participants joined a learning tour of key locations in the Philippines. This year, they will conceptualize and operationalize change projects that they plan to implement in their respective communities.
Ayala Foundation has also brought Training Institute, a teacher-training program that works within the philosophy for children framework, to two public elementary schools in Basilan.
About Ayala Foundation
As the social development arm of the Ayala group of companies, Ayala Foundation envisions communities where people are creative, productive, self-reliant, and proud to be Filipino. Ayala Foundation’s main program areas are Education, Youth Leadership, Sustainable Livelihood, and Arts and Culture. For more information, visit www.ayalafoundation.org, or “Like” facebook.com/ayalafoundation.
Contact:
Cel Amores Paul de Guzman
amores.cr@ayalafoundation.org deguzman.js@ayalafoundation.org
+63917 810 9945 +63917 558 6764