Month: April 2020

April 15, 2020 – The Ayala Group of Companies has completed the conversion of portions of the World Trade Center (WTC) in Pasay City into a temporary healthcare facility that will cater to patients affected by COVID-19.

The project, dubbed WTC We Heal as One Center, was made possible through the collective efforts of Ayala Land Inc., Globe Telecom Inc., Manila Water Co. Inc., Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (IMI), and AC Energy Inc., together with the ICCP Group and Manila Exhibition Center Inc. (MEC), and with support from the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and the National Government. The Ayala Group of Companies was able to pool P46.4 million for this project.

Ayala Land unit Makati Development Corp. (MDC) headed the fit-out construction for 9,700 square meters of space at WTC in a span of 7 days.

Following the layout and design by MDC with guidance from the Department of Health and Architect Daniel Lichauco, the facility features 500 beds enclosed in safe, clean, and controlled isolation cubicles, as well as examination rooms, nurses’ stations, doctors’ work areas, and medical staff quarters.

“When the national government asked for Ayala Land’s support, we immediately mobilized and pooled our resources to assist in the best way we can,” Ayala Land President and CEO Bobby O. Dy said.

“We hope that this facility will help our country get through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are privileged to work with like-minded partners who want to do what’s best for the Filipino people,” Dy added.

Globe Telecom funded a large portion of the facility’s construction cost, as well as unlimited Wi-Fi services.

“Collaboration between the public and private sectors is vital during these times, and we will continue to lend support to the government to help the country recover from this pandemic soon,” Ayala Land Chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala said.

Meanwhile, MEC provided the spaces in WTC rent-free. It also supplied bathroom toiletries in addition to security and janitorial services.

“Even before MEC, the owner of World Trade Center Metro Manila, was approached through the ICCP Group, we were already thinking about offering the exhibition hall, either as a Command or Testing Center for COVID-19,” WTC Metro Manila President and CEO Pamela D. Pascual recalled.

WTC is among the largest events facilities in the country, having hosted several big gatherings such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2017 and the Southeast Asian Games in 2019.

“So when this came into fruition, through the partnership with Ayala Group, we are more than happy and proud to be given the chance to make a difference by helping government in its fight to quell COVID-19,” Pascual explained.

The facility was turned over on April 14 to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Health Service Command, who will serve as its medical operator.

For its continued operations, AC Energy donated 500 bedframes and pillows and has committed to cover 50% of the facility’s electricity costs until May 31, 2020. Partner donor Manila Electric Co. has pledged to cover the other half.

Manila Water also built 27 private cubicle shower areas for patients and 10 in a converted container van for medical workers.

For its part, IMI is providing two sanitation booths at the entrance of the facility and another two at the exit.

Other donors include: The Philippine Constructors Association, which contributed cubicles for the facility; Smart Communications Inc., which set up the WiFi internet connectivity; and San Miguel Corp., which is supplying the center’s alcohol requirements. MDC construction partners also contributed supplies and equipment to complete the fit-out of the facility. Collectively, Ayala’s partners in this initiative contributed P29.5 million.

Several companies were tapped to provide security, cleaning and maintenance, and laundry services. Food commissary suppliers and a cafeteria operator have also been recruited.

The cost of medical equipment, supplies, and services will be shouldered by the National Government along with private donors and other financiers.

“We are grateful to all our private partners for setting up a much-needed facility in such a short period of time. In partnership with ICCP Group, Ayala Group, and Meralco, the conversion of the World Trade Center Metro Manila into a COVID-19 quarantine facility is testament to what the public and private sectors can achieve when they work together for the good of our country,” BCDA President Vince Dizon said.

The Ayala Group’s contributions to the conversion of WTC into a quarantine area for COVID-19 patients is its latest in a string of initiatives to help stem the spread of the virus.

Most recently, the Ayala Group took part in Project Ugnayan, a relief effort together with more than 50 private companies and in partnership with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and Caritas Manila.

Through Project Ugnayan, the country’s leading businesses were able to raise P1.7 billion for the purchase of grocery vouchers that aims to feed 1.5 million urban poor families or 7.6 million individual residents who are most burdened by the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila.

CARITAS MANILA (a church-based non-profit organization that serves as the lead social service and development ministry of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Manila) through its “spiritual frontliners” of priests, nuns and lay volunteers in various parishes in mega-manila have distributed a total of 1,367,495,000 pesos worth of Gift Certificates covering 5,445,255 urban poor families (or over 7.6 million individuals) currently affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine in the entire of Luzon.

Under Project Ugnayan (a fund-raising initiative led by top business groups in cooperation with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation) Caritas Manila was able mobilize its parish-based grassroots structure to provide social assistance to vulnerable communities of the Greater Manila Area.

To date the distribution of Gift Certificates are as follows:

The initiative earned praises from Archdiocese of Manila Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo, San Pablo Bishop Buenaventura Famadico and other Prelates of the Suffragan Dioceses of Manila. The Prelates thanked the businessmen and private organizations that collectively help to make Project Ugnayan possible. This unprecedented assembly of so many of the country’s corporations and business families coming to the assistance of the most helpless in our society illustrates and speaks of the heart and generosity of the business community.

Special thanks to the donors of Project Ugnayan, which include (in alphabetical order): Aboitiz Group, ABSCBN/First Gen, Alaska Milk Corporation, Alliance Global Group & Megaworld, AY Foundation & RCBC, Ayala Corporation. Bench/Suyen Corp, Bonifacio West Devt Corp. Carmelray Group, Cathay Land, Inc, Cebuana Lhullier, Century Pacific, Coca Cola Philippines, Concepcion Industrial, Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal Foundation, Inc., Daiichi Properties, DMCI Group of Companies, Dowell Container and Packaging Corporation, Far Eastern University, First Life Financial Company, Focus Global, Inc., Global Food Group, Glorious Commercial Exports, Inc., Gokongwei Group of Companies/Robinsons Retail Holdings, ICTSI, JAKA Group 1, Jollibee, Kawit Prime Holdings, Inc., Leonio Group, Mercury Drug Corporation, Metrobank, Mumuso Group, National Grid Corp of the Philippines, New World Hotel, Nutri-Asia, Oishi/Liwayway Marketing Group, One Meralco Foundation, Penshoppe, People R People, PepsiCo/PepsiCo Foundation, Philippine Racing Club, Inc, PLDT/Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, Puregold, Ramon S. Ang & Family, RRK/Lee Jeans, Shang Properties Inc, SM/BDO, Sta. Elena Construction, Sugar Junction Inc.. Sunlife of Canada, Super Prime Holdings, Inc, The Alpha Suites Inc., Unilab, and Wilcon Depot.

Contact Person:

REV. FR. ANTON CT PASCUAL
Executive Director
Caritas Manila
09175660846 / 09189245095

Project Ugnayan, the fund-raising initiative led by top business groups in cooperation with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), reached over 7.6 million people in the vulnerable communities of Greater Metro Manila.

“As we close, we wish to reiterate our wholehearted thanks to all our generous Donors for making this project possible. By coming together in a Bayanihan spirit so quickly, we were able to create a program of this scale and importance. This unprecedented assembly of so many of the country’s corporations and business families coming to the assistance of the most vulnerable in our society illustrates and speaks of the heart and generosity of the business community.

Our special thanks go to the 10 Bishops of the Dioceses in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna, as well as to Caritas Manila under the leadership of Father Anton Pascual, and the network of Parish Priests, Volunteers, and Barangay Captains who distributed the gift certificates door-to-door in the lowest-income communities of Greater Metro Manila. We appreciate the swiftness and efficiency of their work under very difficult conditions and over very long hours each day,” said Project Ugnayan Lead, Fernando Zobel de Ayala.

“We are grateful for this opportunity to be part of this business community effort to help people in a time of crisis. This is a movement we should nurture as we prepare to let people return to work and to re-start our economy in the post-quarantine period.” said PDRF Co-Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.

“The unity in diversity demonstrated by Project Ugnayan reveals the private sector’s serious commitment to help our country recover from the lost economic momentum because of the pandemic. We are proud to be part of this extraordinary collaboration of industries which will prove most valuable in getting the economy back on track,” PDRF Co-Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

According to Father Anton CT Pascual, Executive Director of Caritas Manila, the initiative earned praises from Archdiocese of Manila Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo, San Pablo Bishop Buenaventura Famadico and other Prelates of the Suffragan Dioceses of Manila. The Prelates thanked the businessmen and private organization who collectively help to make Project Ugnayan possible.

“The true spirit of Easter is about hope and has special significance in these difficult times. We thank all the generous benefactors of Project Ugnayan for this opportunity to fulfill a great mission of compassion for our vulnerable brothers and sisters. Your gifts have warmed their hearts and uplifted their spirits,” Father Pascual said.

Caritas Manila’s Project Damayan, the project’s main distributor of emergency cash through P1,000 supermarket gift certificates has so far reached 1,070,854 families or 5,354,270 people. It is on target to deliver gift certificates to 1,366,495 families or 6,832,475 people by Wednesday, April 15 (the original end-date of the Enhanced Community Quarantine).

ABS-CBN’s Pantawid ng Pagibig has reached 238,854 families or 1,194,270 people through food packs delivered through Local Government Units. They will reach a total of 631,921 families or 3,151,605 people by the end of their program.

ADB and the Government’s Bayan, Bayanihan has delivered food packages to 13,370 families or 66,850 people through the Philippine Army and DSWD. ADB has provided funding to reach 80,000 families or a total of 400,000 people.

Jollibee’s FoodAID program delivers ready-to-cook chicken to low-income families from its commissary through a network composed of Don Bosco, Caritas Manila, and the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilya ng Pantawid (SNPP). So far, they have delivered to 199,491 families or 977,455 people. They are targeting to reach 500,000 families or 2,500,000 people by end-April.

“In sum, Project Ugnayan and its Partners have reached 1,522,569 families or 7,612,845 people in just over three weeks. This number will rise as all deliveries have already been programmed by the partners,” said Fernando Zobel de Ayala.

The donors of Project Ugnayan are (in alphabetical order): Aboitiz Group, ABSCBN/First Gen, Alaska Milk Corporation, Alliance Global Group & Megaworld, AY Foundation & RCBC, Ayala Corporation. Bench/Suyen Corp, Bonifacio West Devt Corp. Carmelray Group, Cathay Land, Inc, Cebuana Lhullier, Century Pacific, Coca Cola Philippines, Concepcion Industrial, Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal Foundation, Inc., Daiichi Properties, DMCI Group of Companies, Dowell Container and Packaging Corporation, Far Eastern University, First Life Financial Company, Focus Global, Inc., Global Food Group, Glorious Commercial Exports, Inc., Gokongwei Group of Companies/Robinsons Retail Holdings, ICTSI, JAKA Group 1, Jollibee, J.P. Morgan, Kawit Prime Holdings, Inc., Leonio Group, Mercury Drug Corporation, Metrobank, Mumuso Group, National Grid Corp of the Philippines, New World Hotel, Nutri-Asia, Oishi/Liwayway Marketing Group, One Meralco Foundation, Penshoppe, People R People, PepsiCo/PepsiCo Foundation, Philippine Racing Club, Inc, PLDT/Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, Puregold, Ramon S. Ang & Family, RRK/Lee Jeans, Shang Properties Inc, SM/BDO, Sta. Elena Construction, Sugar Junction Inc.. Sunlife of Canada, Super Prime Holdings, Inc, Supreme Steel Pipe Corp, The Alpha Suites Inc., Unilab, and Wilcon Depot.

“We are fully supportive of the latest pronouncement by President Duterte on extending the enhanced community quarantine to April 30. This is consistent with the research data on past pandemics, evaluation of initiatives in other countries and various statistical analyses that we have been studying to help break the COVID-19 pandemic. While we await for new guidelines from the national government, the Ayala group will continue to take care of its employees as a priority and extend support as much as we could to our partners and communities through collaborative efforts. In partnership with over 30 private conglomerates, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and Caritas Manila, we are heavily involved in Project Ugnayan, an initiative that seeks to feed 1.5 million urban poor families or 7.5 million individual residents greatly affected by the ECQ in Greater Metro Manila. We are also completing the conversion of some 8,000 sqm of the World Trade Center in Pasay into a 500-bed quarantine facility for COVID positive patients with the ICCP group. This will be turned over to the AFP, as the medical operator next week, “ said Ayala chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.