Month: May 2019

As part of a sustained effort to provide relief and rehabilitation support for families severely affected by the April 22 earthquake, the Ayala group, through Ayala Foundation, conducted relief operations for Aeta families in Porac, Pampanga, on May 4.

Working closely with award-winning journalist Kara David and her personal “Project Malasakit” initiative, Ayala Foundation distributed food and water for at least 300 Aeta families living in Katutubo Village in barangay Planas, Porac, Pampanga.

Ayala Foundation also came with the Manila Water Foundation to the relief operations, with assistance from the Apl.de.Ap Foundation, the Pampanga Social Welfare and Development Office, and the Philippine Air Force stationed at the Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga.

The May 4 relief initiative was the second of several similar activities for Aeta families who lost their homes and livelihood during the 6.1-magnitude Luzon earthquake. The previous week Ayala Foundation and internationally renowned performer Apl.de.Ap distributed sleeping mats and drinking water for 800 families in Floridablanca, Pampanga.

“For any initiative to have an impact, it must be sustained and done in collaboration with the community and other partners,” said Ayala Foundation President Ruel Maranan. “This is why the Ayala group is actively consulting local stakeholders and the community members themselves on their needs after the earthquake, not only in terms of immediate relief but also for reconstruction and rehabilitation.”

The Ayala group has also started the delivery of plywood and galvanized iron sheets to help at least 1,000 Pampanga families who lost their homes to the earthquake.

Aside from helping rebuild shelters, Ayala is also working closely with Pampanga communities and officials in identifying other needs, particularly in the area of reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Ayala Corporation recorded a net income of ₱8 billion in the first quarter of the year, five percent higher from a year ago, lifted by its real estate, banking, and telco units and boosted by net accounting gains from the merger of its education arm with the Yuchengco group.

Ayala’s sustained earnings momentum was a result of healthy equity earnings contribution from its business units, which grew seven percent to reach ₱9.9 billion. Equity earnings contributions of Globe, Ayala Land, and BPI grew 44 percent, 15 percent, and five percent, respectively in the first quarter.

Furthermore, Ayala’s net profits during the period was boosted by net accounting gains from AC Education’s merger with iPeople, which amounted to ₱1 billion. As a result of the merger and the additional shares it purchased, Ayala now owns a 33.5 percent stake in iPeople.

“Our first-quarter results show the advantages of a diversified portfolio. The strong performance of Ayala Land, Globe, and BPI offset the challenges from Manila Water’s water supply issues and the market conditions facing AC Industrials,” Ayala President and COO Fernando Zobel de Ayala said. “In addition, capital generated from the closing of the transactions in AC Education and AC Energy provide a boost for funding new investments and reducing debt at the parent level,” Mr. Zobel noted.

Apart from the gains from the merger of its education business with iPeople, Ayala will receive gross proceeds of US$573 million from the partial sale of AC Energy’s thermal assets to Aboitiz Power following the completion of the transaction last May 2. The transaction involved Aboitiz Power’s acquisition of a 49 percent voting stake and 60 percent economic stake in AA Thermal, AC Energy’s thermal platform in the Philippines. AA Thermal consists of AC Energy’s limited partnership interests in GNPower Mariveles and GNPower Dinginin, which is currently under construction.

Ayala Land

Ayala Land sustained its double-digit growth trajectory in the first three months of the year, with net income expanding 12 percent to ₱7.3 billion, driven by its property development and commercial leasing segments.

Ayala Land’s revenues from property development climbed four percent to ₱26.1 billion, lifted by its office-for-sale and commercial and industrial lot sales segments. Sales reservations expanded 8 percent to ₱34.1 billion driven by the continued strong demand from local and overseas Filipinos, which grew eight percent and 15 percent, respectively. Sales from other nationalities, meanwhile, increased five percent in the first quarter.

Revenues from commercial leasing grew 19 percent to ₱9.2 billion, lifted by higher contribution from newly opened malls, offices, and hotels and resorts. The opening of the retail section of Ayala North Exchange brought Ayala Land’s total mall gross leasable area to 1.9 million square meters in the first quarter, while 719,000 square meters is under construction. Its average mall occupancy rate stood at 89 percent, with stable malls at 95 percent. Same mall rental growth stood at 12 percent during the period. Meanwhile, office GLA stood at 1.1 million square meters, while 424,000 square meters is under construction. Average office occupancy rate was at 92 percent in the first quarter.

Ayala Land continues to diversify its income mix. In the first quarter, new estates contributed 54 percent to its net income, while established estates (Makati, Bonifacio Global City, Nuvali, Alabang, and Cebu) contributed 46 percent. In terms of business line, its recurring income segment accounted for 38 percent, while its development business contributed 62 percent to Ayala Land’s bottomline.

Ayala Land has announced its plans to establish the first real estate investment trust in the Philippines. It has set up AyalaLand REIT Inc. (formerly known as One Dela Rosa Property Development Inc.), which will initially be composed of Ayala Land’s prime, Grade-A, commercial office assets in Makati. Ayala Land believes that a REIT is a viable investment vehicle to access new investors, recycle capital, and promote the development of the Philippine capital market.

Bank of the Philippine Islands

Bank of the Philippine Islands recorded a net income of ₱6.72 billion in the first quarter, up eight percent year-on-year on strong performance of its core banking business.

BPI’s total revenues in the first quarter climbed 23.5 percent to ₱22.78 billion on solid growth from both net interest income and non-interest income. Net interest income jumped 29 percent to ₱16.1 billion resulting from an 8.8 percent increase in average asset base and a 50-basis point expansion in net interest margin to 3.39 percent. Yield on interest-earning assets improved 109 basis points, but this was partially offset by the increase in cost of funds, owing to higher time deposit rates, and an increase in other borrowings.

The bank’s total loans at the end of the first quarter stood at ₱1.35 trillion, up 11.5 percent year-on-year, boosted by strong growth in corporate loans, credit card loans, and housing loans with growth of 11.8 percent, 20.3 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, total deposits reached ₱1.61 trillion, an increase of 1.3 percent. The bank’s CASA ratio was at 70.3 percent while the loan-to deposit ratio stood at 83.9 percent.

On the other hand, non-interest income registered a 12.4 percent increase to reach ₱6.73 billion, attributed to increases in transaction-based service charges, credit card and rental businesses, and income from assets sold.

Operating expenses totaled ₱12.1 billion in the first quarter of 2019, 23.8 percent higher year-on year, mainly driven by the bank’s investments in technology, digitalization, and its microfinance branch network. Cost-to-Income ratio was at 53 percent, slightly up from the 52.8 percent registered from a year ago. The provision for losses of ₱1.80 billion was 13.2 percent lower than the fourth quarter of 2018. Non-performing loans ratio stood at 1.85 percent, while the bank’s total loss coverage, including allowances for contingent exposures, was at 95.7 percent in the first quarter.

At the end of March 2019, the bank’s total assets stood at ₱2.08 trillion, up 8.9 percent, and Return on Assets was at 1.34 percent. On account of the stock rights offering conducted in May 2018, BPI’s total capital reached ₱257.11 billion, up 35.6 percent. Return on Equity was at 10.7 percent, which declined 2.9 percentage points, reflecting the impact of the dilution from the SRO. Capital Adequacy and Common Equity Tier 1 ratios were at 16.57 percent and 15.68 percent, respectively.

Globe Telecom

Globe registered robust performance in the first quarter, with a 44 percent surge in net income from its year-ago level to ₱6.7 billion bolstered by strong subscriber usage in data-related services across mobile, corporate data, and home broadband segments.

This was achieved through solid topline gains, which fully offset the higher depreciation expenses from Globe’s continued network expansion and acceleration of its LTE and broadband rollout. Consolidated service revenues climbed 13 percent to ₱36 billion, while EBITDA grew 24 percent to ₱19.9 billion.

The sustained momentum in prepaid brands drove mobile revenues, which grew 11 percent to nearly ₱27 billion. Mobile data continued to be the top contributor to Globe’s total mobile business, accounting for 61 percent of gross service revenues from 47 percent a year ago. Mobile data revenues grew 44 percent to ₱16.5 billion as subscribers avail of promos that provide the best surfing deals.

Similarly, home broadband revenues climbed 21 percent to ₱5.2 billion resulting from a 22 percent increase in subscriber base at 1.7 million. Meanwhile, corporate data revenues grew 16 percent to ₱3.1 billion, from internet and domestic services and higher circuit count.

Overall, data-related services accounted for 69 percent of Globe’s service revenues during the period, with mobile data services alone making up for 46 percent. Globe is now reaping the benefits of its modernized 4G/LTE network that allows more of its customers to experience faster content downloads, smoother music and video streaming, and richer web browsing experiences. It recorded mobile data traffic growth from 180 petabytes a year ago to 370 petabytes in the first quarter.

During the period, Globe spent around ₱8.8 billion in capital expenditures or 24 percent of the topline revenue to support the growing subscriber base and demand for data. Of this amount, 68 percent was deployed to data-related services. Globe has provided a guidance of achieving a high single-digit growth in service revenues and EBITDA margin in the low-50s by the end of 2019.

Manila Water

Manila Water recorded a net income of ₱1.2 billion in the first three months of the year, 27 percent lower from the previous year on higher operating expenses, which reflects the impact of the water shortage in the Manila Concession.

Manila Water’s operating expenses reached ₱2.46 billion, up 39 percent from a year ago, driven by the provision of financial penalty imposed by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to Manila Water amounting to ₱534 million for its inability to meet its service obligations to provide 24/7 water supply to its consumers in accordance with the concession agreement.

Manila Water’s inability to provide its usual 24/7 water supply to some of its consumers stemmed from insufficiency of the water supply from Angat Dam to service the demand of its consumers. This raw water allocation has remained unchanged at 1,600 MLD since the concession started in 1997 when the Manila had a population of only three million people. Today, Manila Water serves a population of almost seven million people whose per capita consumption has significantly increased through over two decades of economic progress in Metro Manila. However, under the concession agreement, the development of new water sources is ultimately the responsibility of MWSS. In collaboration with government, Manila Water continues to implement service recovery efforts, which are now geared towards addressing those residing in the elevated and farthest areas of the concession who are still inconvenienced due to the water supply shortage.

The higher operating expenses eclipsed the improvement in revenues registered during the period, expanding 8 percent to ₱5.08 billion on account of higher tariff in the Manila Concession and improved topline growth of non-Manila Concession businesses which grew 19 percent to ₱1.1 billion. Revenues was also tempered by the implementation of the voluntary one-time bill waiver program made effective in April as relief to its customers who were affected by the water supply shortage.

Net earnings of Manila Water Philippine Ventures, which comprises the company’s domestic businesses outside the Manila Concession, climbed 7 percent to ₱174 million in the first quarter, primarily lifted by revenues from Estate Water, which grew more than twofold to ₱319 million. Meanwhile, net earnings of Manila Water Asia Pacific, which houses Manila Water’s international investments, more than doubled to ₱135 million led by contribution of East Water in Thailand and its operating subsidiaries in Vietnam.

AC Energy

AC Energy recorded a net income of ₱2.5 million in the first quarter, dropping from its year-ago level of ₱593 million, as higher interest expense from a green bond issuance, lower wind regime, and a scheduled outage of a thermal plant weighed on its bottomline.

Equity earnings from AC Energy’s investee companies reached ₱496.9 million, primarily lifted by its international renewable energy platforms. Meanwhile, it booked lower equity earnings contribution from GNPower Mariveles on scheduled outage combined with the impact of its reclassification to an asset held for sale in light of the thermal sell-down to Aboitiz Power. Similarly, its wind farms NorthWind and North Luzon Renewables posted lower equity earnings contribution owing to lower wind regime this El Nino season. Higher interest expense incurred from AC Energy’s issuance of US$410 million in green bonds also contributed to the decline in AC Energy’s net profits in the first quarter.

Last April, AC Energy and the BIM Group inaugurated the 330MW solar farm in Ninh Thuan Province, one of the largest solar farms in Southeast Asia, as well as the 30MW solar plant in Dak Lak, both inVietnam. In addition, AC Energy in partnership with The Blue Circle recently announced the construction of the first 40MW of the Mui Ne Wind Farm located in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam with an estimated cost of US$92 million. The project has an expansion potential of up to 170MW. AC Energy also recently energized a 50MW solar project in Khan Hoa, which is part of the 80MW solar plant partnership with AMI Renewables of Vietnam. These projects are all in line with AC Energy’s target to assemble five gigawatts in attributable capacity across solar, wind, and geothermal technologies by 2025.

AC Industrials

The ongoing global market slowdown, startup losses from its newly acquired businesses, and weaker sales of its automotive retail distribution segment pulled AC Industrials’ performance in the first quarter to a net loss of ₱332 million.

Its electronics manufacturing services unit, Integrated Micro-Electronics, experienced macro-driven margin constraints due to the continued fallout from the US-China trade war, lingering political uncertainty in the UK, and the ongoing electronic component shortage. Net profits dropped to US$335,000, 94 percent lower from its year-ago level of US$5.6 million. Consolidated revenues stood at US$323 million (₱16.6 billion), relatively flat from the previous year. Gross profit for the first three months of 2019 totaled US$29.1 million, with margins declining to 9 percent compared to the previous year’s 10.6 percent.

IMI continues to grow its target business segments – automotive, industrial, and aerospace – which now comprise 77 percent of total revenues for the period. Revenues from automotive grew 27 percent to US$168 million, while contribution from the industrial segment climbed 10 percent to US$68M. Revenues from aerospace increased six percent to US$13M. However, consumer and telecom revenues declined by 59 percent and 12 percent, respectively, due to delays in new project awards and the aforementioned China economic slowdown.

In domestic vehicle distribution, AC Motors registered a net loss of ₱89 million due to weaker sales of Honda, Isuzu, and Volkswagen, as the Philippine automotive market continues to experience an overhang from last year’s industry-wide decline. KTM and Kia also posted weaker than expected results, due to slower than expected exports and ongoing startup activities, respectively. 

Balance Sheet

Ayala’s balance sheet remains healthy with ample capacity to undertake investments as well as cover its dividend and debt obligations. As of the first quarter of the year, parent level cash stood at ₱5.5 billion, with net debt at ₱99.8 billion. Ayala’s net debt-to-equity ratio stood at 0.79 at the parent level and 0.73 at the consolidated level. The conglomerate’s loan-to-value ratio, the ratio of its parent net debt to the total value of its assets, was at 11.7 percent at the end of the first quarter. Its peso-dollar debt split ended at 66:34 as of end-March. Ayala’s dollar denominated debts are fully covered by foreign currency assets.

In April 2014, Ayala issued US$300 million bonds, which were exchangeable into secondary shares of Ayala Land. Upon the bonds’ maturity last May 2, 100 percent of the bondholders opted to exchange into Ayala Land shares. The exchange led to a 2.6 percent dilution in Ayala’s economic ownership in Ayala Land to 44.4 percent from 47 percent.

Makati City – Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) announced that it intends to build the first dedicated cancer specialty hospital in the Philippines. The stand-alone Cancer Hospital, to be built with an investment of approximately P2Bn, is envisioned to be a fully integrated, 100-bed facility located in Metro Manila. Its goal is to provide comprehensive high-quality cancer care services, but at more affordable prices. On the back of the recently passed Cancer Control Act (RA11225), the Cancer Hospital is expected to complement and support public sector efforts to improve cancer care in the Philippines.

Ayala Corporation President and COO, and AC Health Chairman, Fernando Zobel de Ayala, said that the Cancer Hospital aims to address the prevailing gaps in screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the Philippines. “Cancer is now the third leading cause of death in the Philippines, and unfortunately, we struggle with poor outcomes. A key pillar of our advocacy is screening and early detection so that we can diagnose patients earlier, and provide them with more affordable high-quality cancer care,” he said.

AC Health President and CEO, Paolo F. Borromeo, added that they will be working with leading international cancer care providers to bring world-class operational and clinical expertise, as well as stateof-the art technology for the benefit of patients.

The Cancer Hospital will be a specialized center, equipped with diagnostic equipment (including a PET Scan), chemotherapy facilities, linear accelerators for advanced radiation therapy, and operating rooms
for the specialist surgeons. Apart from offering a comprehensive range of services, the hospital will be led by some of the top local oncologists, working in a dedicated group practice as part of multi-disciplinary
care teams.

“We are working with some of the most respected names in the local oncology field, and we are delighted that they share our vision for this Cancer Hospital. We are also encouraged by the feedback we have
gotten from patients who love the concept. I think having a specialized cancer hospital in the Philippines is long overdue, and our goal is to redefine cancer care by serving a broader segment of Filipinos, while
providing quality of care that matches global standards,” Borromeo said.

Borromeo also said that they plan to offer cancer screening services to identify cases early at AC Health’s FamilyDoc, now the largest retail clinic chain in the country.

The announcement comes after the recent passage of the Cancer Control Act (RA 11215), which, among its provisions, allows for the creation of cancer specialty hospitals and clinics by the private sector. The law also expands cancer education and screening efforts, and PhilHealth benefits for cancer patients.

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AC Health
Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ayala Corporation, and serves as the portfolio company for healthcare businesses. Its vision is to build an ecosystem that links every patient to a seamless healthcare experience. Its portfolio includes Generika Drugstore, the pioneer in generic retail pharmacies, and FamilyDOC, a new chain of community-based primary care clinics. AC Health is also investing in health technology solutions, such as its HealthTech arm, Vigos Health Technologies, MedGrocer, an FDA-licensed online pharmacy, and AIDE, a home health care platform.

For further inquiries, contact:

Gerard Garcia
Strategy and Communications Associate
garcia.gp@achealth.com.ph

May P. Florentino
Corporate Communications
Ayala Corporation
florentino.mpp@ayala.com.ph

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Kickstart Ventures, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, was chosen by Ayala Corporation (AC)  to manage its new $150 million venture capital fund to support startups pursuing innovations along key technology areas in data and analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, automation, real estate, retail, transport, energy, water, health and wellness, and food.

The Ayala Corporation Technology Innovation Venture (ACTIVE) Fund is looking at a range of investments in Series A to Series C or early- to mid-growth stage across four key investment themes – (1) ‘A Frictionless Future;’ (2) ‘From Automation to Augmentation;’ (3) ‘Innovations in Real Estate;’ and (4) ‘A World of Plenty’.

As sole manager of ACTIVE Fund, Kickstart is responsible for seeking companies that offer innovative, scalable, sustainable solutions for the seamless integration of digital and traditional channels such as On-Demand Services, IoT, FinTech, Blockchain, E-Commerce and Omni-Channel as well as the automation and augmentation applications for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, Big Data and Analytics, and Cloud Computing. 

Other target companies are those that provide green and inclusive technologies such as Clean Energy / Energy Storage / Distributed Energy, Environmental Tech / Waste Management; and  smart technologies for homes, buildings, communities, property management, retail tech, and similar use cases.

“While ACTIVE Fund will invest in tech companies not only in the Philippines but also abroad, our focus will be on systems and solutions, rather than pure technology,” said Minette Navarrete, President of Kickstart. “Our investment themes reflect our perspective that technology and innovation are a means to positively influence the future we want to build rather than ends in themselves. By investing in solutions that can scale sustainably, and pairing equity with strategic support, we can put Ayala Corporation’s assets to work in a different way, forging a future that is frictionless, symbiotic, equitable, and boldly efficient,” she explained.

Kickstart was launched in 2012 to support the Philippine startup ecosystem and has so far made 39 investments in digital companies, supporting 83 founders across the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, United States, Canada, and Israel. ACTIVE Fund will be its third and largest fund to-date.

Kickstart investments include Toronto-based startup Wattpad, recently in the news for having inked significant content deals with Sony Pictures Television, Singapore’s Mediacorp, and the Philippines’ Anvil Publishing; Indonesia’s C88, which announced a $28M Series C round last year; and the Philippines’ Coins.ph, which was recently acquired by Indonesia’s Go-Jek.

On the other hand, Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu reflects on how venture capital has become a vital part of Globe Telecom’s future. “Globe is animating its digital transformation via a corporate culture that is more entrepreneurial, more customer focused, and executing with speed and precision. We are engineering Globe to be more than a telco; it is now a platform upon which our business partners can grow, and individual consumers can depend on to provide access to the best digital lifestyle options. Corporate venture capital through Kickstart Ventures has been an important part of bringing more startup partnerships to Globe. We’re excited to work with Ayala Corporation to support the Group-wide digital transformation,” he said.

Earlier, AC announced the creation of ACTIVE Fund which leverages the breadth of the Ayala conglomerate – Ayala Corporation and affiliates Globe Telecom, BPI, Ayala Land, AC Industrials, Manila Water, AC Energy, and AC Infrastructure, which are also leaders in their respective fields.

“We offer more firepower, greater access, and the potential for partnerships across multiple industries through this one fund. It is simpler for potential investees to navigate, and more collaborative for ourselves to operate,” said Ayala Corporation CFO Jose Teodoro Limcaoco.

Ayala Corporation Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala indicated the role he wants AC to play with the new business landscape, “The Group continues to thrive and grow, and our business units are serving the needs of more Filipinos than ever before. At the same time, we are well aware that new technologies and business models are disrupting established industries globally: the pace of innovation is astounding. We are determined that Ayala Corporation will play a role in the transformation of industries – not as a bystander, but as an innovation catalyst.”

The fund also builds on the optimism around the Philippines and Southeast Asia: a recent report co-authored by Google and Temasek predicts that the SEA region’s digital economy will triple to reach $240 billion by 2025; and the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook predicts that Philippine GDP per capita will breach US$4,000 for the first time in 2022, improving discretionary spend at both corporate and consumer levels, and opening opportunities for further investments in infrastructure, services, and products.

In view of global, regional, and national trends, Ayala is being well-positioned with digital capabilities across all its businesses as the Philippines and Southeast Asia economies grow.

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For more information, please contact:

Yoly C. Crisanto
Head, Corporate Communications
Globe Telecom, Inc.
Email Address: gtcorpcomm@globe.com.ph
Globe Press Room:  https://www.globe.com.ph/about-us/newsroom.html
Twitter: @talk2GLOBE │ Facebook: www.facebook.com/globeph