Author: Sharon Mutuc

Manila – On November 17, 2021, the first shipment of Molnupiravir, an oral anti-viral treatment for mild COVID-19, arrived in the country through a partnership between MedEthix, one of the country’s major pharmaceutical importers and distributors, and JackPharma, a pharmaceutical distribution company. MedEthix is a member of the Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health), the healthcare arm of the Ayala Group.

Present to receive the first shipment of Molnupiravir at the PAIR Cargo Terminal, Pasay City were Monaliza B. Salian, MedEthix Co-founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer; Meny Hernandez, JackPharma Inc. President; Ma. Victoria P. Sugapong, MedEthix Chief Operating Officer; Paolo F. Borromeo, AC Health President and CEO; Ruby P. Chiong AC Health Chief Finance Officer; Dr. Rizzy A. Alejandro, AC Health Chief Public Health Officer; Michael P. Narvaez, People’s Air Cargo & Warehousing Co. Inc. Chief Operating Officer and Norsalem Raymond M. Mama-o, OIC of PAIR CARGO Assessment Composite Division.  The event was facilitated by QuickFlo Forwarders, Inc., the customs brokerage partner of MedEthix and JackPharma.

Molnupiravir, brand name Molnaflu, is being imported into the country via Compassionate Special Permits (CSPs) issued by the Philippine FDA to several hospitals in the country, including AC Health’s QualiMed hospitals, as well as 30 other hospitals all over the country. The newly-arrived Molnupiravir treatment courses are supplied by Aurobindo Pharma, an Indian pharma manufacturer licensed by Merck to supply this drug to low and middle-income countries. The Philippines is the first country in Southeast Asia to receive their supply of Molnupiravir and will be available to the public as of today.

“We are delighted to announce that MedEthix has leveraged its core strength of forging alliances, with the likes of JackPharma who is its appointed national distributor of Molnupiravir, and of QuickFlo Forwarders, which has represented MedEthix before the Bureau of Customs, that, in turn, enabled MedEthix to be recognized as a Super Green Lane holder” shared Monaliza B. Salian, President and CEO of MedEthix.

“Indeed, today is a celebration also of AC Health’s lead role in the entire Ayala Corporation’s group of companies, to put its share towards contributing to national recovery. #AyalaForPH and AC Health will pledge to ensure the continued availability of Molnupiravir (Molnaflu) treatment courses in all its CSP grantees-hospitals, to our underprivileged countrymen, via all AC Health patient touch points” shared Ma. Victoria P. Sugapong, Chief Operating Officer of MedEthix.

The drug, developed by Emory University and Merck, was shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 50% for patients with mild COVID-19. Molnupiravir could potentially help reduce the burden of COVID-19 to the healthcare system by providing a much-needed option for outpatient treatment to prevent progression to severe disease and death.

Under a CSP, patients diagnosed with mild COVID-19 can be prescribed Molnupiravir, and can avail of the drug from a hospital granted a CSP. Molnupiravir comes in a 200mg capsule with a recommended regimen of 800mg (4 capsules) to be taken twice a day for 5 days or as prescribed by a physician. It will be available in a bottle of 40 capsules to cover the entire treatment regimen.    

“We are delighted that MedEthix and JackPharma have made it possible to bring Molnupiravir into the country. This drug is a game-changer, and we look forward to offering this life-saving medicine to our patients at QualiMed. Moreover, we are extremely proud that, through the efforts of MedEthix and JackPharma, Molnupiravir will be available nationwide for our countrymen at an affordable price. This is very much in line with the commitment of AC Health and the Ayala Group to support the country’s COVID-19 response efforts,” said Paolo Borromeo, AC Health President & CEO.

Earlier in the pandemic, AC Health, with the help of its partners, built and capacitated 8 RT-PCR labs for COVID-19 testing, and converted its 4 QualiMed hospitals in Sta Rosa, Laguna; San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; Tanauan, Batangas, and Iloilo City into COVID-19 referral hospitals. More recently, AC Health has become one of the largest Healthcare Service Providers of COVID-19 vaccines, and has administered close to 600,000 doses in over 25 vaccination sites across the country.

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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, IE Medica and MedEthix, major pharmaceutical importer and distributor, Healthway, a network of primary care, multi-specialty, and corporate clinics, and QualiMed, a comprehensive network of full-service hospitals, multi-specialty clinics, and a stand-alone day surgery center. AC Health has also invested in health technology solutions, most recently, HealthNow, a healthcare aggregator app that offers online consultations, medicine delivery, and clinic and diagnostic booking.

For further inquiries, contact:

Frances Marie Moreno, MD
Strategy and External Affairs
E-mail: moreno.fmm@achealth.com.ph

MANILA – Ayala Corporation Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala reaffirms the company’s commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050, as he speaks alongside global leaders at the Milken Institute’s Asia Summit on Tuesday.

“All of us have a responsibility to do whatever we can—whether you are a member of the private sector or the government. There has been huge global cooperation on climate action, and we see it as our role within the Ayala Group to do our bit,” Zobel said at CNBC’s “Sustainable Future” interview minutes before the summit.

Last October, Ayala Corporation President & CEO Fernando Zobel de Ayala announced the company’s net zero commitment, which aligns its business strategy with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels.

Such an announcement came ahead of the recently held 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), where signatories to the Paris Agreement reported back on progress made since 2015.

Ayala Corporation and its core business units are signatories to the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and are currently working to implement the 11 recommended disclosures. Ayala also partnered with South Pole, a leading project developer and global climate solutions provider, to have an accurate view of emissions across its core business units and a tangible roadmap for reducing them in line with its net zero by 2050 ambition.

During a panel discussion at Milken Institute, the Ayala Chairman said financial institutions and investors also have a huge influence on the net zero transition. Its power platform AC Energy is also currently working with the Asian Development Bank to accelerate the early retirement of coal power plants, while creating cleaner energy sources.    

“Many are moving out of traditional thermal assets and investing in renewables, but nothing is happening to those existing thermal assets. They are either being sold or still being run,” Zobel said.

With ADB’s help, AC Energy’s South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation is set to retire by 2040, 15 years ahead of its technical lifespan. Other climate-action interventions done by Ayala and its core businesses include:

• Ayala Land pushes for offsetting its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2022 for its commercial operations.
• BPI will not finance new greenfield coal power generation projects. The Bank will reduce its coal power generation exposure to half of 2020 by 2026 and to zero by end of 2032.
• Globe, a participant to the Race to Zero and a signatory to the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), has shifted to buying energy directly from renewable energy producers for its headquarters in Taguig and six offices and facilities since 2019.
• AC Energy is on its way to installing 5GW of renewable energy by 2025.
• Ayala Corporation’s Project Kasibulan, a reforestation, forest protection, and biodiversity conservation program for carbon sequestration is to be piloted in the island of Mindoro.

Zobel noted that climate change is an existential crisis that affects governments, businesses, and every single lifeform on Earth. However, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked renewed cooperation among businesses and governments in the local, regional, and global scenes.

“COVID-19 has force fitted a whole new level of cooperation that didn’t exist before. The private and the public sectors, when they realized the magnitude of the economic damage that would come from this pandemic were forced to come together and work together to address it,” Zobel said.  

“There have been a consensus and cooperation that businesses must have a broader sense of responsibility. I think that is something we should all celebrate and enjoy,” he added.

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For more information:

YLA ALCANTARA
Head, Brand and Reputation Management
Ayala Corporation
e-mail – alcantara.ypg@ayala.com

Manila – AC Health has administered over 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, breaching the halfway mark of its 1 million dose target.

Since its official launch in July, AC Health, through its COVIDShield program, has been inoculating members of priority groups across different LGUs, Ayala Group employees and their dependents, and partner companies across 25 active vaccination sites in key priority areas around the country, including NCR, Bulacan, Laguna, Pampanga, Batangas, Cebu, Davao, Palawan, among others. This large-scale initiative is in support of the Philippine National Vaccine Deployment Program and complements the public sector’s efforts to vaccinate majority of Filipinos at requisite scale and speed to achieve optimal protection. Moreover, over 50,000 regular employees across the different Ayala parent companies have been vaccinated. This brings the vaccination rate of the Ayala group at 90%, with majority of the remaining employees scheduled for vaccination in the next few weeks.

“Three months after launching our COVID-19 vaccination program, we are proud to have administered almost 560,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for partners and clients, as part of our contribution to the country’s response to the pandemic. Within the Ayala Group, we have successfully achieved a 90% vaccination rate for our regular employees.  Through consolidated efforts of the entire AC Health network, together with the DOH and the IATF, local governments and the private sector, we will continue to work hard to achieve our country’s vaccination goals,” said AC Health President and CEO, Paolo Borromeo.

Last September 28, Ayala Corporation Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, together with AC Health President and CEO Paolo Borromeo and Ayala Corporation Chief Human Resource Officer JP Orbeta visited 4 sites to give support to the medical frontliners and COVIDShield staff.

“We are grateful to our healthcare frontliners who are the true heroes of this pandemic. During this time of uncertainty, we owe a lot to their unwavering dedication and sacrifice to help our fellow Filipinos be protected and to keep our nation safe,” added Borromeo.

The COVIDShield program provides comprehensive COVID-19 vaccine administration services from ensuring vaccine supply, proper scheduling, vaccine administration to post-vaccine surveillance. AC Health is on track in achieving its goal of administering 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as the next tranches of privately-procured vaccines arrive in the country.

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For more information, contact:

CHACHI MORENO, M.D.
Strategy and External Affairs Manager
Zodiac Health Ventures, Inc
E-mail: moreno.fmm@achealth.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines – Ayala Corporation, one of the largest conglomerates in the country, is committing to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as announced by its President & CEO Fernando Zobel de Ayala during the group’s Integrated Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and Sustainability Summit held Thursday.

“As Ayala’s concrete contribution to the well-being of future generations of Filipinos, we are announcing our commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We are aligning ourselves with the global movement for climate action as our way to help secure our country’s future from the threats brought by climate change. We believe that we have the capabilities and collective will to make this happen,” Zobel said.

Ayala aligns its business strategy with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels. As such, Ayala commits to set      targets aligned with science  that cover the following: Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from generation of purchased electricity), and all relevant Scope 3 (all other indirect emissions that occur in value chain). Scope 3 emissions are expected to make up the majority of Ayala’s footprint and can be complex to address, but Ayala is committed to net zero best practices and driving meaningful change in its business ecosystem.

Prior to Ayala’s net zero by 2050 announcement, its core business units have initiated the following climate-action interventions:

• Ayala Land pushes for offsetting its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2022 for its commercial operations
• BPI will not finance new greenfield coal power generation projects. The Bank will reduce its coal power generation exposure to half of 2020 by 2026 and to zero by end of 2032.
• Globe, a participant to the Race to Zero and a signatory to the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), has shifted to buying energy directly from renewable energy producers for its headquarters in Taguig and six offices and facilities since 2019
• AC Energy is on its way to installing 5GW of renewable energy by 2025
• Ayala Corporation’s Project Kasibulan, a reforestation, forest protection, and biodiversity conservation program for carbon sequestration is to be piloted in the island of Mindoro

To develop a net zero roadmap, Ayala partners with South Pole, a leading project developer and global climate solutions provider that works with private organizations and governments worldwide. This partnership enables the group to have an accurate view of emissions across its core business units and a tangible roadmap for reducing them in line with its net zero by 2050 ambition. In the next 12 months, Ayala and South Pole will: 

• Develop a detailed greenhouse gas footprint that includes all relevant Scope 3 emissions from the value chain, which is considered net zero best practice
• Assess potential emission reduction activities and strategies to help Ayala prioritize and budget for these interventions across its core business units, ensuring practical steps are taken to reduce emissions as quickly as possible
• Establish interim targets aligned with a science-based 1.5°C pathway across the core business units to ensure Ayala has robust and measurable milestones along their journey to net zero by 2050

Ayala Corporation and its core business units are signatories to the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and are currently working to implement the 11 recommended disclosures. This year,  Ayala focuses on determining the actual and potential impacts of climate-related risks and opportunities on its businesses, strategy, and financial planning. A physical and transition-risk analysis is well underway.

Ayala’s announcement of its net zero by 2050 ambition comes ahead of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to be held in Glasgow, United Kingdom in November 2021, where signatories to the Paris Agreement will be reporting back on progress made since 2015. 

Last April, the Philippines submitted its first nationally determined contribution to the Paris Agreement, committing to a projected greenhouse gas emission reduction and avoidance target of 75% by 2030.

Ayala believes that accelerating climate action is part of its recovery roadmap. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, global companies have moved towards net zero. Capital has been flowing to sustainable investments as a growing number of investors and lenders walk away from carbon-intensive sectors. And while a net zero ambition entails risks and costs, Zobel sees it as a long-term investment for the future generations, aptly defining Ayala as a catalyst and partner for net zero transition in the Philippines.  

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For more information, contact:

YLA ALCANTARA
Head, Brand and Reputation Management
Ayala Corporation
E-mail – alcantara.ypg@ayala.com

MANILA – Ayala Corporation’s Managing Director JP Orbeta bares how company’s human resources units address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and fulfill their commitment as responsible employers at the panel discussion “The New People People” hosted by The Economist.

Ayala Corporation is one of the three Philippine corporations that made it to Forbes’ 2021 list of the World’s Best Employers. This recognition follows Ayala’s merit of excellence award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and another gold from Gawad Pandayon by PANA, the country’s biggest advertiser group.

Speaking alongside HR leaders from another ‘best employer’ Standard Chartered and tech startup Zilingo, Orbeta said Ayala has always had a people-first perspective in addressing the COVID-19, prioritizing the health and well-being of employees across the group.

“There was never a question about making sure that we continue to pay our employees despite them not physically coming to work. The true north for leaders is ‘What is the right thing to do here?’” Orbeta said. 

Beginning March of last year, Ayala empowered its personnel to work efficiently and effectively under a remote setting and in the workplace which it calls ‘Work Where Effective’ weeks before government announced the nationwide lockdown.

Ayala also rolled out a groupwide COVID response package, covering all employees, business partners, customers, and the broader population. As of October 2021, Ayala Group has allocated over P19.5 billion for this response package.  

• Groupwide emergency financial response package for direct and indirect employees’ salary continuance, leave conversions, and loan deferments;
• A quarantine facility for employees called Ayala Group Employee Care Center;
• A dedicated healthcare hotline and teleconsultation service, including an in-house bot called Assistant during Crises and Emergencies (ACE) for daily health and risk assessments to monitor employees and household members;
• Work-from-home arrangement and online resources for re-tooling and upskilling, as well as shuttle services for essential workers who needed to be physically present at work;
• A re-entry plan that included redesigning the workplace and providing tools and protective equipment;
• Administration of one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for employees and their registered dependents and business partners; over 500,000 doses have been administered to date; and
• An all-in-one healthcare app called HealthNow, which offers teleconsultation, online medicine ordering and delivery, and clinic and diagnostic testing booking.

According to Orbeta, Ayala also prioritized employees of vendor partners given their crucial role to the value chain. From 60,000 direct employees, Ayala Group extended its service to its 120,000 indirect employees.

Inspired by the group’s caring gesture, Ayala employees gave back to vulnerable communities by raising over P149 million through an internal program called Project Pananagutan, which benefitted staff under no-work, no-pay arrangement, public hospitals, and vulnerable families in Metro Manila and Cavite. Some employees also donated to Project Ugnayan, a private sector consortium-led response to feed the hungry, which raised P1.7 billion and distributed grocery vouchers to over 2.8 million families or 14 million individuals in Greater Manila Area during the first months of the lockdown in 2020.

For Ayala, the overall well-being of the people within and outside its companies is at the center of its operations.  At the core of Ayala’s pride is its HR departments organized to manifest the company’s commitment to its primary asset – its people.   

“When they know that your company will put the people above everything else, it sends a huge message across that this is a place that really takes care of its people,” Orbeta noted.

John Philip S. Orbeta has been recently appointed as Chief Administrative Officer and Chief HR Officer of AC Energy. He served as Chief Human Resources Officer of Ayala Corporation for 16 years.

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For more information, contact:

YLA ALCANTARA
Head, Brand and Reputation Management
Ayala Corporation
E-mail – alcantara.ypg@ayala.com