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Hopes are up as the country’s public and private sectors work together to acquire the much-awaited vaccine, which is expected to resurrect people’s confidence and resuscitate the economy after months of recession.

In a virtual T3 partners update held last week, the procurement of vaccines and the supply chain management of its sourcing, delivery, and administration challenges as well as possible solutions were eagerly discussed. Unilab, Zuellig Pharma, AC Health (the healthcare arm of Ayala), and Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation are working closely with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. and his team to organize a “Vaccine Logistics Summit” with the national government, local government units, private sector, and other stakeholders in mid-December. The summit, to be organized by the Boston Consulting Group, will focus on a multi-vaccine, multi-year vaccine procurement and distribution plan for the country.

“The procurement of vaccines and the administration of a large-scale vaccination program will be one of the most important and challenging undertakings for the next few years. I believe this can only be done through a public–private partnership looking at a multiple vaccine, portfolio strategy. Our commitment extends, beyond our employees and their dependents, to the community at large, prioritizing those most in need. Our task extends, beyond procuring vaccines, towards helping optimize the end-to-end supply chain and distribution logistics,” said Ayala Corporation Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, a founding member of T3.

To date, through the alliances under T3, the country’s testing laboratories increased from 17 to 162. T3 has also helped build isolation centers, procure testing equipment and PPEs, launch the One Hospital Command Center, and assist with data management requirements.

Zobel, at the annual “Pilipinas Conference” of Stratbase ADR Institute held recently, said the vaccination program will boost consumer and investor confidence. “All of these things that address healthcare issues will go a long way in creating the kind of atmosphere that we need—the progressive economic restart that will be useful for all of us,” he said.

“Vaccines will encourage people to come out again, start planning for the future, start spending again [to drive consumption], and feel a little more confident [about our changing normal],” he added.

“PH healthcare system needs robust investments”

While the arrival of the vaccine may finally restore consumer confidence and thus catalyze the Philippine economy’s bounce back, Zobel said at BusinessWorld’s Economic Forum last week that the long-term solution to pandemics is a stronger healthcare system.

“Pandemics will be with us as a new form of crisis in the future,” he said. “As the world becomes denser and pandemics become part of our reality, I really believe that one area we have to reinvest in is our whole healthcare system.”

Zobel has consistently called for an increased investment in the healthcare sector. Last July, in a virtual meeting organized by the House Committee on Economic Affairs, Zobel said the Philippines has been producing “superb” but “inadequately appreciated” nurses and doctors who choose to leave the country for better opportunities abroad.

“One advantage that we have among ASEAN countries is that we have very capable individuals in the medical field who have been the pride of the Philippines in the way they have taken care of the frontlines,” he said. “What we probably lack is the physical infrastructure. I think we have to spend more on [building] clinics, hospitals, and equipment that will allow us to carry and distribute vaccines.”

“We have seen the kind of weight that our healthcare community has had to take on in a crisis of this magnitude,” Zobel added. “One area that all of us as a country must focus on is really reinforcing our whole healthcare system.”

Ayala began its robust investments in the healthcare sector in 2015 through AC Health, which leads various brands including Generika and Healthway. Early this year, AC Health partnered with QualiMed Health Network to upgrade QualiMed Hospitals in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. On Wednesday, AC Health announced that they expanded the COVID-dedicated bed capacities of the Sta. Rosa and San Jose Del Monte hospitals to 75 and 30, respectively. To date, the two hospitals have admitted over 400 confirmed cases, triaged more than 21,000 suspect cases, and conducted nearly 41,000 COVID-19 RT-PCR tests.

These healthcare initiatives are just some of the ways in which the Ayala group has been supporting the government to manage the pandemic. Zobel said the group readies itself to evolve more drastically to suit the needs of the changing normal.

“All of us should use the crisis to reinvent ourselves [as institutions]… It’s a chance to [redefine our roles in society], see how we can be relevant, and see how we, the private and public sectors can collaborate, work together, and bring our country out of a very difficult situation,” Zobel said.

While the arrival of the vaccine may finally restore consumer confidence and catalyze the Philippine economy’s bounce back, the long-term solution to pandemics is a stronger healthcare system, says Ayala Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala. “Pandemics will be with us as a new form of crisis in the future. As the world becomes denser and pandemics become part of our reality, I really believe that one area we have to reinvest in is our whole healthcare system. One advantage that we have among ASEAN countries is that we have very capable individuals in the medical field who have been the pride of the Philippines in the way they have taken care of the frontlines. What we probably lack is the physical infrastructure. I think we have to spend more on clinics, hospitals, and equipment that will allow us to carry and distribute vaccines,” Zobel shared at BusinessWorld’s Economic Forum last November 26, 2020. (Ayala Corporation file photo)

Manila, Philippines, November 26, 2020 – Taskforce T3 announced its plans to support the Government in its development and implementation of the Philippine National Vaccine Roadmap, which is being led by National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III and NTF Deputy Chief Implementer Secretary Vince Dizon.

T3 (for Test, Trace, Treat) is the private sector-led initiative that was formed in April 2020 to support the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), the Department of Health and the NTF in their efforts to combat COVID-19.

T3 is comprised of many of the country’s leading private sector organizations, including both NGOs and business groups. To date, it has helped to strengthen the country’s anti-pandemic capabilities by constructing isolation centers, donating testing equipment and PPEs, helping to launch the One Hospital Command Center and assisting with data management requirements. It has helped to increase the country’s testing laboratories from 17 to 162 testing labs throughout the country.

On the vaccine front, T3 shared last night at a virtual meeting attended by over 400 government and private sector participants, that it will focus its efforts on supporting the Government in the areas of supply chain and distribution logistics.

In particular, T3 members spearheaded by Unilab, Zuellig Pharma, Ayala Corporation’s AC Health and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), will focus on assisting the Government in defining and implementing supply chain management requirements, including technology and communications needs, and leveraging private sector assets to support the roll-out and deployment of vaccines (e.g., healthcare facilities, logistics and cold-chain, technology).

According to Jose Maria A. Ochave, Senior Vice President for Social Partnerships at Unilab, one of the most trusted healthcare companies in the country, “The role of medical professionals in both the government and private sectors is critical to ensure that the public understands the importance of the vaccines, and to ensure their proper deployment. Unilab is committed to working with Government and medical groups to accomplish this.”

Raymund Azurin, Senior Vice President at Zuellig Pharma Asia Pacific, one of the largest healthcare services groups in Asia, added, “We look forward to supporting the Government’s efforts in its implementation of our nation’s COVID – 19 vaccination strategy.”

Several companies that are part of T3 are also participating in the consortium that Presidential Advisor for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion is organizing, to donate to the Government vaccines that will be sourced from a leading global pharmaceutical company.

Presidential Advisor for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion announced: “On Friday, November 27, we will sign a tripartite agreement to donate vaccines to the government which will augment their ongoing procurement initiatives. We want to send a clear message to the Filipino people, especially our MSMEs, that there is hope, there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel.”

Secretary Galvez added, “This vaccine program will help us re-open the economy and give citizens, workers, and consumers the confidence that everything is being done to keep them safe. I’d like to thank Mr Enrique Razon, SM Group, Lucio Tan Group, Ramon S Ang, Ayala Corporation, Zuellig, Unilab, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), Go Negosyo, NGCP, First Philippine Holdings, MVP Group, and all the businesses here for supporting us.”

Secretary Duque stated, “I commend the initiatives of the T3 on the coordinated efforts of the private sector to support the Government to deliver an effective and timely vaccine program. I am deeply humbled and inspired by their devotion to the nation and look forward to more fruitful partnerships.”

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation, a founding member of T3, underscored the importance of continued public-private sector cooperation, “Our commitment extends, beyond our employees and their dependents, to the community at large, prioritizing those most in need. Our task extends, beyond procuring vaccines, towards helping optimize the end-to-end supply chain and distribution logistics. In this next frontier of combatting COVID 19, the private sector remains committed to our partnership with the public sector and, ultimately, to our fellow Filipinos.”

* * *

For more information/questions, and for those seeking to join/support Taskforce T3, please contact:

Bill Luz
Philippine Disaster Resiliency Foundation (PDRF)
Gm.luz@competitive.org.ph

Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health), in partnership with the QualiMed Health Network, recently expanded QualiMed Hospital – Sta. Rosa’s COVID-dedicated bed capacity to 75 beds, and QualiMed Hospital – San Jose Del Monte’s to 30 beds, effectively doubling the total bed capacity for COVID patients since the facilities were upgraded in March. This is in line with their efforts to ramp up COVID-19 treatment capacity in the country.

“We are proud to expand our initiatives to improve access for quality COVID treatment facilities in the country. It has been encouraging to see national and local numbers improving, but our experience has taught us that managing this pandemic requires continuous vigilance. We used this time to increase our capacity even further at QualiMed, and we also expanded our services across AC Health to include telehealth and home services, with the goal of ensuring we are ready to deal with this virus for the long haul,” AC Health CEO and President Paolo Borromeo said.

In April, AC Health and QualiMed formalized their agreement to convert QualiMed Sta. Rosa into a COVID-19 referral hospital. Through this partnership, the hospital expanded its capabilities by creating a triage holding area, operating a Biosafety Level 2 Laboratory capable of COVID-19 testing, and converting a number of inpatient beds for exclusive use of COVID-19 patients. A dedicated team of medical professionals, including staff from the broader QualiMed and Healthway network, was also formed to ensure demand for increasing number of healthcare professionals are met and quality standards of care are implemented.

“This expansion project signifies another milestone in our partnership with AC Health. With increased COVID-dedicated capacities for both our hospitals in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, our network will become more equipped to accommodate COVID-19 patients in need. This is a necessary addition to our existing initiatives, such as ramping up safety protocols and improving testing capacities, as we support our country’s fight against the health crisis,” QualiMed Health Network CEO and President Dr. Edwin Mercado said.

The QualiMed hospitals in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan have implemented efforts to respond to the pandemic by continuously improving and updating treatment protocols, implementing comprehensive triaging processes, and conducting risk-based RT-PCR testing to frontliners and doctors. With the expansion project, a portable dialysis unit will be established. Likewise, more equipment such as high flow nasal cannula machines, closed circuit ventilators, and suction pumps will be made available. To date, the two hospitals have admitted over 400 confirmed cases, triaged more than 21,000 suspect cases, and conducted nearly 41,000 COVID-19 RT-PCR tests.

Moving forward, both AC Health and QualiMed hope to find more innovative ways to address gaps in the country’s COVID-19 capabilities. In June, AC Health’s Vigos Ventures, in partnership with Globe’s 917Ventures launched HealthNow, a platform that offers telemedicine consultations, online medicine ordering and delivery, and clinic and diagnostic testing booking. Currently, the app has more than 40,000 installs with over 250 providers onboarded. Meanwhile, Healthway, AC Health’s clinic network, also launched “Healthway at Home,” its home service for RT-PCR testing, vaccinations, medical consults, lab tests, physical therapy, and medicine delivery.

The captains of three of the country’s biggest business groups—Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala of Ayala Corporation, Teresita Sy-Coson of SM Investments Corporation, Enrique Razon of International Container Terminal Services, Inc., — together with Tony Fernandes of AirAsia, jointly said at the CEO panel of Go Negosyo’s 15th anniversary conference that large corporations should serve as “big brothers” to MSMEs that are struggling to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a DTI report, SMEs and microbusinesses cover 60% of the total annual revenues of all Philippine businesses, contribute 35% of the country’s GDP, and employ 63% of working Filipinos. Globally, these smaller businesses comprise 70% of employment and around half of the world’s GDP.

With over 250,000 small businesses within its ecosystem, the Ayala Group of Companies immediately rolled out various programs at the onset of the pandemic to address the different pain points faced by its MSME–partners. The Ayala group also partnered with the government and other like-minded business groups to address the needs of the broader community. The group worked with both the public and the private sectors to boost the country’s testing capacity through Project ARK and T3. It convened the private sector under Project Ugnayan and raised, in a matter of days, over P1.7 billion in donation to give grocery vouchers to over 1.5 million families in the poorest communities of Greater Manila Area.

“This is the moment where we all should be holding hands and riding this together,” Zobel said. “I think what this crisis has shown is that we’re all part of a system that is much more integrated than ever before. This is a time when cooperation is far more important than anything else.”

“Big brother” to MSMEs

At the onset of the pandemic, Ayala Malls was quick to implement rent condonation among its tenants, including MSMEs. BPI was also among the first banks to offer payment extension on consumer and SME loans, consistent with the government’s Bayanihan 1 and 2. According to Zobel, the private sector has been using their own balance sheets to ride out the challenges brought by the pandemic, protect its employees, help small businesses within their ecosystems, and preserve jobs which is key to reviving the economy.

Ayala launched the membership of the Ayala Enterprise Circle (AEC), Ayala’s groupwide effort to cultivate a more synergistic relationship with its 250,000 SME community.

The keynote speaker of the launch, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, recognized the Ayala group for its extensive efforts to support MSMEs. “The Department of Trade and Industry fully supports the Ayala Enterprise Circle initiative to upskill, connect, and enable the growth of your SME partners during this period. As we adjust to the ‘New Normal’, let us instead create a ‘Better Normal’ for our countrymen. We hope that you, our private sector partners, will continue working with us in a whole of nation effort to bring back a better Philippines for a brighter tomorrow,” he said.

So far, AEC has held five online sessions and is offering various exclusive products and services to address the main concerns of its SME partners, including the health and safety of their employees, financing, and business transformation.

“There are tough times ahead of us and the ingenuity and resilience of our entrepreneurs and SMEs are needed now more than ever. We, at the Ayala Enterprise Circle, believe that this year’s challenges also provide an opportunity for businesses to adapt, transform and prepare for what lies ahead. The AEC’s mission is to support and empower the Ayala small and medium entrepreneur through uplifting, forging connections, and enabling them to grow their businesses and lead markets,” said John Philip S. Orbeta, Ayala Corporation’s Chief Human Resource Officer and Group Head of Corporate Resources, who heads the AEC.

Any DTI- or SEC-registered entity who is an existing business customer of an Ayala company, subsidiary, or affiliate, can apply for AEC membership at http://www.ayalaenterprisecircle.com.

“This is the moment where we all should be holding hands and riding this together. I think what this crisis has shown is that we’re all part of a system that is much more integrated than ever before. This is a time when cooperation is far more important than anything else,” said Ayala Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala at Go Negosyo’s anniversary conference held virtually Monday, November 23, 2020. Mr. Zobel was one of the CEO panelists
together with Teresita Sy-Coson of SM Investments Corporation, Enrique Razon of International Container Terminal Services, Inc., and Tony Fernandes of AirAsia.

Ayala Corporation Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala stressed during the group’s first virtual Integrated Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and Sustainability Summit that climate change is the “biggest and probably the most important threat to humanity.”

Now more than ever, he said, everyone must play a role in building resilience and mitigating risks as more devastating calamities arise in the future. “We have to start thinking creatively about how to prepare ourselves for potential climate change risks. I think we should be contributors of resilience and help minimize the contributions we make in worsening the situation,” Zobel noted.

In recent weeks, Ayala is among the first and most active private business groups to deliver much-needed relief to provinces torn and submerged by a series of typhoons. The group marshalled support to Batangas, Rizal, Quezon Province, Oriental Mindoro, Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Catanduanes for victims of Typhoon Rolly (international name Goni). Currently, the group and partners are conducting relief operations in Cagayan, Isabela, Greater Manila Area including Marikina and Baseco Compound in Manila as well as other areas affected by Typhoon Ulysses (international name Vamco).

However, relief distribution is only a short-term response. Zobel said the country needs to embrace a proactive rather than a reactive approach to climate change. To address various environmental and social issues, the group created the Ayala Sustainability Blueprint (https://ayala.com.ph/sustainability/), where a specific objective aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is assigned to each business unit. Sustainability units within the Ayala group also conduct various initiatives to increase people’s climate change awareness through information campaigns and interactive programs. Here are some of the group’s accomplishments in relation with the UN SDGs:

 SDG 13 (Climate Action): Project Kasibulan, Ayala Corporation’s main reforestation effort, has planted 6,929 seedlings and engaged 297 volunteers from across the group. GCash also rolled out a feature called GForest, where users can earn points using the platform, which they can eventually convert into a physical tree donation that will be planted in Manila’s critical watershed.

 SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): AC Energy has 1,300MW of renewable energy capacity and is at 26% of its 5GW target.

 SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): AC Infrastructure’s rail business reached a 10% reduction in its energy and fuel consumption and 50% reduction on paper, non-hazardous, and hazardous wastes per year.

 SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Ayala Land has made a commitment to be carbon neutral in the next few years, and they are adopting new technologies and techniques to minimize carbon emissions.

 SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation): Manila Water continues to increase access to clean, safe, affordable water as it expands to Calasiao, Obando, Bulacan, and Tagum. It also rolls out stateof-the-art technologies to ensure that wastewater can be properly treated and reused in estates and commercial establishments.

Award-winning, Sustainable Businesses

At the closing of trading hours at New York Stock Exchange last Friday, Ayala Corporation was hailed as an index component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for its outstanding corporate sustainability performance. Ayala Corporation is the first Philippine conglomerate to be included in the DJSI Emerging Market Index. Ayala Land is also the only real-estate company from the Philippines that made it to the index under the real estate category.

Earlier this year, Ayala Corporation has been reconfirmed – for the fourth time – as a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index series. Ayala Land and Globe Telecom were also included in the Index series for the fifth and fourth time, respectively. This year, too, Institutional Shareholder Services granted Ayala Corporation the “Prime” badge for its ESG performance and initiatives. With a a decile rank of 2 under the Financials/Multi-Sector Holdings, Ayala Corporation landed at the industry’s top 20%.

Meanwhile, CDP, a not-for-profit organization that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts, hailed Ayala Corporation as among companies with most improved performance in Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. The Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability (ACES) awards also recognized Ayala Corporation as one of the Top Sustainability Advocates in Asia. In 2016, ACES hailed Ayala Corporation as one of the Top CSR Advocates in Asia.

“Ayala Corporation believes that long term value is created when you focus on sustainable businesses that benefit all stakeholders,” said Chief Financial and Sustainability Officer TG Limcaoco. “We are thankful for the substantial recognition we have received from local and international rating agencies. We will continue our commitment to pivoting our businesses towards a more resilient future for Filipinos.”

As climate change triggers stronger calamities, the Ayala Group of Companies helps in various rescue and relief operations in the hardest-hit communities affected by recent typhoons across the country. Ayala chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said, “We have to start thinking creatively about how to prepare ourselves for potential climate change risks. I think we should be contributors of resilience and help minimize the contributions we make in worsening the situation.” The Ayala Sustainability Blueprint seals its commitment to pivot its businesses to build a more resilient future for Filipinos.

The Ayala Group of Companies expands its relief operations to cover more affected communities. Immediately after the aftermath of Typoon Ulysses (international name Vamco), Manila Water deployed water tankers to evacuation centers in various communities to ensure availability of clean water supply for the evacuees. Rescue boats were also dispatched to help those whose houses were submerged in water in flooded areas.

Manila Water is currently working with LGUs to reach other evacuation areas in the East zone. Currently, the group is working with local government units to bring much-needed food packs to the most affected families in Greater Manila Area, including Baseco in Manila’s Port Area, Marikina, and Rizal.

Meanwhile, in other areas and in partnership with Rise Against Hunger, Ayala Coop is set to send vitamin-fortified rice packs to Albay (1,500 packs) and Catanduanes (1,500 packs), which have been most affected by the recent typhoons. This shipment will also come with bedsheets from Ayala Land’s Seda Hotels and medicines from AC Health’s Generika.

Globe is offering the following FREE services to affected customers in Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, eastern portion of Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Quirino, central and southern portions of Nueva Vizcaya, southern portion of Benguet, southern portion of La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Batangas, Marinduque, northern portion of Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island, northern portion of Oriental Mindoro, Albay, Sorsogon, Burias and Ticao Islands:

Globe Prepaid
– Unli calls to Globe and TM
– Unli text to all networks for 3 days

Globe Postpaid
– Continuous Mobile service regardless of account’s payment status (until November 14)

TM
– Unli calls to Globe and TM
– Unli text to all networks for 3 days

Globe At Home
– Free 5GB for 3 days for both postpaid and prepaid Wi-Fi customers
– Bill charge reversal for postpaid customers with no connection

Globe will also activate free call, Wi-Fi, and charging stations via its Dyip Sagip program.

Previously, the Ayala group, in coordination with the LGUs also distributed drinking water and food packs for those affected by Typhoons Pepito (international name Saudel), Quinta (international name Molave), and Rolly (international name Goni).

Immediately after Typhoon Ulysses slammed Metro Manila, the Ayala group led by its water service arm, Manila Water coordinated with various LGUs to deploy water tankers in evacuation areas to help ensure clean water supply for affected families. Rescue boats were also dispatched to help those whose houses were submerged in water in flooded areas.

At a time when small businesses are closing their doors and sending their employees home, Ayala Corporation Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala encourages “like-minded” business groups to help resuscitate MSMEs, thereby preserving and creating jobs.  

In this year’s Sustainability Summit hosted by the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Philippines, NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said the reopening of the economy requires a whole-of-nation approach, where enterprises hold hands while recovering from “closure of businesses, increase in the number of the unemployed and the underemployed, and hunger and poverty.”  

UNGC CEO and Executive Director Sanda Ojiambo, meanwhile, said that accelerating recovery would require focusing on MSMEs, which account for more than 90% of the economy of most countries and have been the hardest-hit sector by the pandemic. “Partnerships are now more important than ever. We will only recover better if we all work together,” she added.  

In his keynote speech, Zobel, 2017 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer, urged businesses to increase collaboration on issues of overarching national importance. “I believe that all businesses, big or small, stand to benefit during this time if we all collaborate on a shared goal rather than stick to the traditional business instinct of maximizing competitive advantage,” he said.  

Zobel also joined Ojiambo and Edillon in stressing the role of small enterprises as “engines of employment and growth”—the very reason why the Ayala Group of Companies has rolled up its sleeves to help MSMEs, which account for 99.5% of businesses and 63% of jobs in the Philippines.   

“I strongly believe that large enterprises should actively help maintain the dynamism of this ecosystem of businesses of all sizes,” he said. “Businesses can only do well and maintain their relevance and longevity if they’re also able to do good for their customers, partners, and their communities. We at Ayala have long been advocates of this type of thinking.”  

At the onset of the pandemic and quarantine, the Ayala Group took the pain together with the 250,000 small enterprises within its ecosystem via rent condonation, waiving of fees, and payment extension. To this day, Ayala Land offers significant rent support for partner merchants (P5.6 billion as of end-September). BPI BanKo waives P24-million of fees and offers loan restructuring to 5,500 businesses. Meanwhile, Manila Water and Globe implement flexible payment terms for utility bills. Even Ayala group employees took money out of their own pockets and raised P149 million to support staff under no-work, no-pay arrangements.  

Beyond financial assistance, the Ayala Group also serves its MSME ecosystem by offering innovative products and services, engaging in joint projects, sharing industry expertise, and continuously investing in startups through venture capital. AC Health offers Unli-Konsulta cards to entrepreneurs who want to keep their doors open but worry about their employees’ health. Manila Water engages with 1,600 MSMEs as business partners for materials and labor, alongside serving over 56,000 small businesses within its concession area. Most recently, the Ayala group formed the Ayala Enterprise Circle (https://www.facebook.com/ayalaenterprisecircle) to upskill, connect, and enable MSMEs.  

“Enterprises have been critical to Ayala’s growth story. Our recovery rests in maintaining and developing an ecosystem of large companies and MSMEs,” Zobel said, adding that in times of plenty and in crisis, no one should be left behind.  

“I strongly believe that large enterprises should actively help maintain the dynamism of this ecosystem of businesses of all sizes…Businesses can only do well and maintain their relevance and longevity if they’re also able to do good for their customers, partners, and their communities. We at Ayala have long been advocates of this type of thinking,” said Ayala Corporation Chairman and CEO, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala in his remarks delivered at the UN Global Compact Sustainability Summit 2020 – “Uniting Business to Support MSME Recovery and Resilience” held virtually last Nov. 5, 2020. In photo with Mr. Zobel is Ping Manongdo, Country Manager of ECO-Business Philippines.

With stronger typhoons ravaging the country in the middle of a pandemic, Ayala Corporation Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala urges the private sector to incorporate climate change in their business strategies as well as recruit “climate-competent” decision-makers who can shape, implement, and report sustainability metrics.

Zobel, the first Southeast Asian business leader recognized by the UN for championing sustainability, recently joined other business think-tanks as a panelist in the webinar “The Board and Climate Change” hosted by Deloitte on November 2. Other panelists include Paul Polman, former Global CEO of Unilever and current vice chair of the UN Global Compact.

“More urgent now than ever that business steps in. Businesses cannot succeed in societies that fail, nor can they be a bystander in a system that gives it life in the first place,” Polman said in his opening remarks. “Climate change is our biggest existential threat.”

Acknowledging the critical role of the private sector in addressing various environmental and social pain points, Zobel highlighted how private companies in the Philippines work collectively to mobilize and organize their resources in times of need. One perfect example, he added, is the formation of the private sector-led Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), where businesses put aside competition to cooperate and build resilience.

The PDRF, which has its own state-of-the-art, 24/7 emergency operations center, has proven itself useful in monitoring and responding to calamities a well as building the capacities of communities and businesses. PDRF, in collaboration with Caritas Manila, Ayala Corporation, and other big business entities, also led Project Ugnayan (www.projectugnayan.org) which distributed over P1.7 billion food vouchers to the most vulnerable population when the lockdown was first enforced.

But beyond partnering with other private entities, Zobel and his fellow panelists agree that climate change must be discussed at the board level of a corporation. That said, climate change and sustainability must be integrated in a company’s investment strategies. According to Polman, hiring one climate change expert is not enough. Instead, each key decision-maker in the company must have a strong understanding of climate change.

“Corporate executives should have a strong understanding about the implications of climate change, as well as have the opportunities to dialogue about these issues at the highest levels to enable officers and the company as a whole to make informed and sustainable strategic decisions,” Zobel seconded.

Across the Ayala group, each business unit has a sustainability officer in-charge of setting, monitoring, and reporting metrics to investors and the public. To name a few:

 AC Energy has committed to transition towards becoming fully renewable in a few years’ time in support of SDG 7 on Affordable and Clean Energy.

 AC Health has been actively weaving together our different healthcare assets through an integrated telemedicine platform in support of SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-Being.

 GCash e-wallet platform rolled out a feature called GCash Forest, where users can earn points using the platform, which they can eventually convert into a physical tree donation that will be planted in Manila’s critical watershed.

 Ayala Land has made a commitment to be carbon neutral in the next few years, and they are adopting new technologies and techniques to minimize carbon emissions (SDG 11).

 Manila Water continues to roll out technologies to ensure that wastewater can be properly treated and reused in estates and commercial establishments (SDG 6).

 Each of these initiatives are in line with the Ayala Sustainability Blueprint, which aims to bridge Filipinos to a better world by 2030 (https://ayala.com.ph/sustainability/).

Finally, Zobel said that climate change is an existential threat to everyone, whether you are a business, a government institution, or just an individual. Its far-reaching effects and implications have an impact on long-term resilience, sustainability, and longevity. Now more than ever, Zobel emphasized that everyone must play a part in mitigating the effects of climate change and building a more sustainable future.

“Corporate executives should have a strong understanding about the implications of climate change, as well as have the opportunities to dialogue about these issues at the highest levels to enable officers and the company as a whole to make informed and sustainable strategic decisions,” said Ayala Chairman and CEO, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, who joined other business think-tanks as a panelist in the webinar “The Board and Climate Change” hosted by Deloitte on November 2. Other panelists include (upper row L-R) Deloitte Global Chair, Sharon Thorne, former Unilever Global CEO and current vice chair of the UN Global Compact, Paul Polman, BNP Paribas Asset Management Global Head of Corporate Governance, Michael Herskovich, and (lower row) Energy Foundation Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee, Rose Mckinney James.

Makati, Philippines – November 5, 2020 As COVID-19 continues to impact lives and businesses in the country, Ayala Chairman & CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala called on private companies to reevaluate their role in society and contribute to the country’s recovery. At a livestreamed session earlier today, Zobel de Ayala joined other esteemed members of the business sector at the Management Association of the Philippines’ (MAP) “Convocation for Shared Prosperity”. Here, he delivered remarks on how companies must come together to face a shared adversity and recalibrate businesses so that more Filipinos can benefit from a shared prosperity in a post-COVID world.

“Maybe it had to take a beast like COVID-19 for all of us to understand that we all have to support each other as communities and institutions if we are to rebuild successfully.  Our capitalist ecosystem has brought millions out of poverty; and improved the lives of many millions more… Now, more than ever, we have to find ways to expand our traditional definition of who we are responsible for and accountable to – well beyond our shareholders and other providers of capital; well beyond the sole pursuit of profit,” said Zobel de Ayala, noting how the pandemic has pushed many companies to throw out the old ways of working in order to contribute more meaningfully to nation building and help government lead the country to recovery.

Responding to the Filipino’s most urgent needs

Realizing that its businesses are built upon the support of its ecosystem, the Ayala Group (Ayala) has been working non-stop to address the most pressing needs of its employees, partners, and communities since the onset of the pandemic.

In March, Ayala quickly released an emergency response package worth PHP 2.4 billion to cover wages, leave conversions, and loan deferments for employees and contractual workers. Ayala then provided stipends for daily wage earners across the group, and has built dedicated medical facilities where COVID-positive employees and dependents can seek testing, treatment, and quarantine support. As of end-September, Ayala has spent nearly PHP 2.3 billion in financial and logistical support for direct and indirect employees across the group.

For its network of business partners, Ayala Malls has waived PHP 5.6 billion in rent condonation as of end-September. At the same time, BPI, Globe, and Manila Water have collectively allocated PHP 2.18 billion in business ops waivers and free services for customers.

Ayala has been collaborating closely with both the private sector in various projects to meet some of the country’s most urgent needs. Through Project Ugnayan, a food relief program for the most vulnerable urban poor communities, the group helped address the hunger of millions in a timely and dignified manner. Along with a consortium of 270 private companies, Ayala helped to quickly raise PHP 1.7 billion. With this fund, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and Caritas Manila distributed PHP 1,000 vouchers to 1.7 million families, or more than 7 million individuals in the Greater Manila Area. With additional contributions from ABS-CBN’s Pantawid ng Pag-Ibig, ADB and the government’s Bayan Bayanihan, and Jollibee’s FoodAID Program, food aid reached 2.8 million families, or over 14 million individuals. This helped government buy time while it mobilized resources to execute its own relief initiatives.

Lastly, Ayala continues to work with other private companies to support government in ramping up crucial testing and treatment capacity. The group participated in Task Force T3, an initiative by the IATF’s National Task Force and the Department of Health, to increase the country’s national testing capacity by 13 times from just 4,500 on April 24 to 60,000 on July 12. Ayala then joined Aboitiz, ABS-CBN, JG Summit, Metrobank Foundation, the Razon Group through Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, and the Yuchengco Group, to build seven Biosafety Level 2 laboratories to boost COVID-19 testing throughout the country.

Creating shared prosperity through inclusivity

Today’s crisis calls for a radical change in the way companies do business. In order to survive and thrive in the post-pandemic world, businesses must benefit the community-at-large through true inclusive growth, and not through pure philanthropy.

Early on for the Ayala Group, this meant extending its businesses beyond its traditional markets to serve a larger segment of society, while realigning its strategy to directly support the Philippines’ national agenda. Today, Ayala sees that it is more necessary than ever, as inclusive growth creates a multiplier effect that allows a broader community of stakeholders to benefit from a shared prosperity.

“Everyone understood that we had a broader responsibility; and this created a very interesting dynamic in our country:  a sense of common purpose and a coming together of different groups including those who were long used to fiercely competing – not cooperating – with each other,” said Zobel de Ayala. “Today, we are here to support a covenant of shared prosperity.  As individual firms, we have been engines of growth and doers of good for this nation.  Let us challenge ourselves:  how can we — where can we — level up to harness our purpose, our resources and our actions so that the Philippine Business Groups can collectively become a Force Multiplier for Growth and a Force Multiplier for Good?”

The livestreamed session was also graced by esteemed guests Hans T. Sy, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Chairman of the Executive Committee, and Atty. Emilio B. Aquino, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman. The lively discussion was moderated by Rex C. Drilon II, Member of the MAP Shared Prosperity Committee and Chairman of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

The Ayala group of companies bring relief, in the form of food packs and free communication services, to communities severely affected by recent typhoons.

As of today, the group already deployed potable water and food packs in Calabarzon. In partnership with their respective provincial government units, Ayala Foundation, Manila Water Foundation and Ayala Coop distributed 5,500 food relief packs along with 3,000 vitamin-fortified rice packs and drinking water in Batangas and Lucena in Quezon.

The Ayala group is now en route to the Bicol region, where close to 5,000 relief packs will be distributed to affected families in stages this weekend in close coordination with the local provincial government units. Ayala Malls Legaspi will serve as the group’s relief headquarters, where food packs sourced at discounted rates from LCC Supermarket, are being prepared. Support to at least 2,000 affected families in Oriental Mindoro will also be extended within the week.

In total, the Ayala group is initially allocating P7 million in the form of food, water, and other necessities for typhoon victims and their families.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom is offering free calls, text, and data services to Globe prepaid, postpaid, TM, and Globe At Home subscribers in Albay, Catanduanes, and Camarines Sur. Through the Globe WiFi Jeepney, families affected by the typhoons can utilize free calling, charging, and Wi-Fi stations in Baao, Camarines Sur, and in Sta. Cruz and Poblacion in Marinduque. The Globe WiFi Jeepney will be deployed in other areas in the coming days. Special product offers will also be extended for customers in Albay, Catanduanes and Camarines Sur. Globe and GCash customers may also participate by using their Globe Rewards or donate via GCash through their Apps.

This week’s relief operations are part of the Ayala group’s unified disaster relief and rehabilitation initiatives led by Ayala Foundation.

“As a conglomerate, the Ayala group, through Ayala Foundation, is committed to providing assistance for communities in times of emergency. We join the rest of the country in lending a helping hand to communities severely battered by Typhoon Rolly. We stand with you as you begin the process of recovering from the damage wrought by the typhoon,” Ayala Foundation President Ruel Maranan said.

Last October, Governor Danilo Suarez of Quezon Province expressed his gratitude to the group for quickly delivering relief when back-to-back typhoons slammed the province last month.

“Kami’y nagagalak na big corporations like this [Ayala group], hindi nakakalimot sa kanilang mganahihirapang kababayan sa pamamagitan ng pagtulong na ito. At sana’y ito na rin ang panawagan namin doon sa iba na ring may korporasyon na maayos naman ang kalagayan sa mga panahong ito na maraming nangangailangan, sana ay maging generous sila sa pagtulong,” he said.

Ayala Foundation is inviting the public to take part in its Typhoon Rolly relief efforts via cash donations through any of its official channels which may be accessed here: ayalafoundation.org/donate.

Individuals and groups donating through Ayala Foundation’s channels are requested to specify that the donation is for “Rolly” or “Typhoon Rolly” in the notes section of the transaction. Donors are requested to email the confirmation receipt to donate@ayalafoundation.org.