Category: News

Ayala Corporation Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala conveyed his appreciation to lawmakers led by Congresswoman Sharon Garin and members of the House Committee on Economic Affairs for extending the invitation for him to participate in the discussion on “A Private Sector Perspective in Build Back Better After Covid-19”.

Zobel said that the IATF’s implementation of community quarantine has given the country more time to boost healthcare capacity, formulate proper policies, and implement the necessary infrastructure to curb the rise of COVID-19 cases, which the University of the Philippines projected would have reached 3.5 million cases or 171,000 deaths if no lockdown had been imposed.

“The private sector supports the government’s initiatives to safeguard the nation’s collective health and help restore our people’s confidence through appropriate health-related guidelines and measures,” he said as he highlighted areas where the private and the public sectors can work together even more closely for a “better, more resilient normal.”

Zobel also highlighted the initiatives of the economic managers and monetary authorities led by Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez and BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, to proactively mobilize the resources needed to fund public health investments, subsistence support for the most vulnerable, and liquidity for the financial system and job preservation, thus laying the foundation for building back better.

Testing, Tracing, Treating, Teaching

In his speech, Zobel thanked Sec. Carlito Galvez and Sec. Vince Dizon, Chief Implementer and Deputy Chief Implementer of the COVID-19 National Task Force, for onboarding the private sector in the whole-of-nation effort led by the IATF and the Department of Health against COVID-19.

In particular, he cited the private–public coalition Task Force T3 (Test, Trace, Treat), which includes private companies, the Asian Development Bank and Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, and has helped to increase the country’s testing capacity by 13-fold—from 4,500 tests pre day on April 24 when T3 was launched, to approximately 60,000 by July 15. The country has set a target of completing a cumulative total of a million tests by the end of July.

To support the governments’ initiatives, many in the private sector such as Aboitiz group, DM Consunji, EEI Corporation, Filinvest, Manila Bulletin group, Megawide, Megaworld, MVP group, Razon group, SM group, Udenna and Vista Land helped to rapidly convert sports arenas and convention centers into dedicated COVID-19 quarantine and treatment facilities and Mega Swabbing Facilities. With the ICCP Group and Manila Exhibition Center Inc. (MEC), and with
support from the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and the government, the Ayala group converted the World Trade Center into a 500-bed quarantine facility.

Private hospitals such as Asian Hospital, Chinese General, De La Salle Medical, Makati Med, Medical City, Mount Grace and Saint Luke’s, are also playing a key role in supplementing the COVID-19 treatment capacity of the Department of Health’s hospital system.

Many in the private sector have also contributed significantly to the country’s RT-PCR testing capacity, notably LT group, MPIC, Red Cross, San Miguel and Unilab. Furthermore, in partnership with Qualimed, Aboitiz, Lopez group, JG Summit, Metrobank Foundation, Razon group and the Yuchengco group , the Ayala group is building out 4 BSL-2 laboratories and has helped to capacitate 3 existing laboratories (the Tropical Disease Foundation in Makati, UCMed in Mandaue City and the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City). Zuellig Pharma has also been assisting with supply chain management.

Meanwhile, the Ayala group also joined 300 private companies in Project ARK led by Sec. Joey Concepcion. ARK is leading the way in complementing the government’s testing initiatives and has already helped procure almost 2 million test kits, with 65,000 tests already administered at the LGU level. ARK and Congresswoman Janette Garin, who is the ARK-PCR private sector chief implementer, have also donated RT-PCR machines to 12 hospitals nationwide and are supporting a study to validate the accuracy of pooled testing for RT-PCR.

Zobel also highlighted the importance of the fourth T (Teach) in T3. Beyond establishing sanitation protocols in workplaces, private companies should also rollout educational campaigns that would guide the public in adjusting to the “new normal.”

“There is a strong need to highlight the significant positive impact that adhering to stringent minimum health standards can generate and complement this with strong measures to protect our vulnerable population segments,” Zobel said.

Transportation, Digitization

Zobel also said there is a need to provide safe, affordable, and convenient mass transportation for the workforce.

He cited as an example the strict health and safety protocols being implemented in LRT-1 for a safe re-opening of the train line. Plastic barriers have been installed to allow for physical distancing. Thermal scanners have been deployed in all stations, and UV disinfection technologies have been developed in collaboration with the UP Engineering Center, to disinfect trains after every roundtrip, while common areas are cleaned every 30 minutes. An emergency disinfection
response team that is trained and equipped can also be immediately deployed should there be a suspected case in a certain station. Contactless payment systems are also in place to facilitate a seamless and safe travel experience.

Meanwhile, with the rising demand for digital platforms for the delivery of basic goods and services, Ayala entered the telemedicine space through HealthNow, an all-in-one digital platform that serves as an alternative channel for patients to access primary healthcare without leaving the safety of their homes. During its April to June pilot run alone, the platform had over 11,000 patient consultation requests.

Zobel also noted that the community quarantine brought on a significant increase in consumer engagement on digital financial apps, such as Globe’s GCash and BPI’s mobile banking app. From March to June, GCash experienced a 138% increase in daily active users and 157% jump in daily active transactions. Transactions on the BPI mobile banking app, on the other hand, accounted for 90% of all bank transactions as of mid-April compared to only 70% prior to the quarantine.

Helping the Vulnerable Segments

Zobel also acknowledged the synergy between the business community, Caritas Manila, and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, where over 270 private entities united to raise funds for Project Ugnayan. The project was able to efficiently distribute in a direct, timely, and efficient manner, food and grocery relief to over 14 million individuals in the Greater Manila Area.

Furthermore, Zobel highlighted the challenges faced by micro, small, and medium enterprises that have been badly hit by the pandemic. MSMEs, he said, account for 99.5% of the country’s registered businesses, 63% of employment, and 35% of the national gross domestic product.

“It is unfortunate that these concerns have led to many small businesses ceasing operations over the last few months,” he said. “We recognize the many initiatives of the Department of Trade and Industry to help our entrepreneurs withstand this crisis through financial support. Private sector groups, such as Go Negosyo, have also been critical partners in this effort, providing mentorship and online training to businesses.”

For the Ayala group, apart from waiving of rental fees in malls and extending grace periods for loan payments, the group has been actively supporting its network of over 250,000 MSMEs via the Ayala Enterprise Circle, where MSMEs can access training modules, networking opportunities, and support services to help them during these difficult times.

To prepare for a safe re-entry of its workforce, the Ayala group has set up its own testing facilities for its employees, which combines Rapid Antibody Testing as an initial screening protocol, with RT-PCR confirmatory tests. As of July 14, a total of 53,399 employees have already been tested as Ayala implements a group-wide workforce re-entry effort.

“As we navigate the uncertainties of the New Normal, we trust that the government will provide us in the private sector with guidance and support as we work together towards a better and more resilient Philippines after the pandemic,” Zobel concluded.

Makati, July 9, 2020 – Ayala Corporation Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said embracing science and technology is key to a better, more resilient normal.

In his keynote address delivered at the 42nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the National Academy of Science and Technology held today, Zobel emphasized the importance of data and insights in understanding and developing solutions to the long-standing societal problems the country faces today.

Zobel shared that the Ayala group regularly gathers data from across its different business units to better understand evolving consumer behaviors and needs, thus allowing it to provide improved services and relevant products.

For instance, with the rising demand for digital platforms for the delivery of basic goods and services, Ayala’s AC Healthcare Holdings (AC Health) penetrated the telemedicine space through HealthNow, an all-in-one digital platform developed in partnership with Globe 917 Ventures. This digital platform serves as an alternative channel for patients to access primary healthcare without leaving the safety of their homes. During its April to June pilot run alone, the platform had over 11,000 patient consultation requests with the top specialization requests covering family medicine; dermatology; obstetrics and gynecology; and ear, nose and throat concerns.

Zobel also noted that the community quarantine brought on a significant increase in consumer engagement on digital financial apps, such as Globe’s GCash and BPI’s mobile banking app. From March to June, GCash experienced a 138% increase in daily active users and 157% jump in daily active transactions. Transactions on the BPI mobile banking app, on the other hand, accounted for 90% of all bank transactions as of mid-April comparing to only 70% prior to the quarantine. The digitalization of its financial services has been the main driver of Ayala’s efforts to promote financial inclusion across a broader demographic particularly the unserved and underserved segments of the population.

And on education, Ayala believes that the current shift to distance learning may become an integral part of the Philippine education system given its many benefits for both students and teachers. Ayala Corporation itself has also explored online learning platforms, such as Coursera and Degreed, to maintain a high level of productivity and engagement within its workforce a significant number of whom continue to work from home.

Ultimately, Zobel emphasized the importance of strengthening the ties among science, industry, and government in finding long-term solutions to address the country’s most pressing challenges. He cited Task Force T3 (Test, Trace & Treat), which aims to expand the country’s RT-PCR testing capacity, as an example of a highly successful public–private partnership model which may be applied in other areas.

Ayala’s contribution to the Task Force T3 includes the conversion of the World Trade Center into a 502-bed quarantine facility and donation of swabbing booths for all 4 Mega Swabbing Centers. In addition, together with other private companies, Ayala has built and capacitated 7 Biosafety Level 2 Laboratories across the country to augment the national testing capacity which has now reached almost 75,000 tests per day.

“I am a firm believer in the power of co-creation and collaboration. Let’s reimagine the world we live in and the way things are using this crisis as a way of refashioning the way we live. I believe that the sciences and the science-based approach has a lot to teach us in that regard,” Zobel said in closing.

National Action Plan Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. called for everyone to work together in controlling the spread of COVID-19 as he highlighted the urgent need to not only safely reopen various sectors, but more importantly, keep the economy open.

“Though the lockdown bought us time to increase public health capacity, we now must face the challenge of reopening the economy,” Galvez said in a meeting with the private sector.

He expressed deep gratitude towards the Task Force Test, Trace, Treat (T3) and its private sector partners in coming together to ramp up the country’s overall testing capacity to 74,000 tests per day, with 75 labs and a turnaround time of just 72 hours or less for results. This increased from a capacity of 3,000 tests per day in April and only 17 labs with a turnaround time of 2 weeks, before the T3 coalition was formed.

T3 is a partnership between the IATF, the Department of Health, the Asian Development Bank, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and several dozen private organizations. Its goal is to help ramp up the government’s Testing, Tracing and Treatment efforts to beat COVID-19.

Deputy Chief Implementer Secretary Vince Dizon added that the goal is to now do 10 million tests within the next 10-12 months, with plans to aggressively expand testing protocols to non-medical personnel, particularly to essential workers frequently in contact with large volumes of people such as security guards, cashiers, market and street vendors, and transport sector workers, as well as in economic zones and priority tourist destinations.

“It has been a challenging fight thus far, and we will continue to face these challenges head on through various efforts of the national and local governments and with the private sector as an invaluable partner in this fight. It is only by working together that we can again start to rebuild our lives and the economy,” Dizon said.

Discipline will be vital in the New Normal

Galvez and Dizon also stressed that as the country opens up more, every Filipino must take more responsibility and be very disciplined in following basic health measures and precautions to ensure their own safety as well as the safety of the public. They also called on both local governments and private companies to strictly enforce the wearing of masks, frequent hand washing, and physical distancing.

They also urged the private sector to do their part in testing their workforce and conducting aggressive contact tracing in the workplace using StaySafe.ph. They cited the effort undertaken by the San Miguel Corporation to open their own COVID-19 laboratory to test all of their 70,000 employees.

PPP at its best

T3 was established at the end of April in response to the President’s call for a whole-of-nation approach to battling COVID-19, and since then almost all the major companies throughout the country have responded resoundingly in an unprecedented partnership with the government.

“We would not have been able to do all of these without the help of our partners in the private sector,” Dizon said. “This is why we humbly ask for continued partnership with the private sector to support the way forward to manage COVID-19 and keep the economy open safely for the benefit of every Filipino.”

The private sector also expressed its commitment to continue to support the initiatives of T3 moving to its next phase. The heads of partner companies were present at the briefing and conveyed their intent to help and train people to get back on their feet. This includes helping them practice behavioral modification and situational awareness during the new normal.

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation, said that as more of the country reopens, there is a need to greatly expand risk-based testing.

“Our health care workers, our frontliners in sectors like utilities, banking, retail, sanitation and security; as well as our employees who will be returning to the workplace, all need to be tested regularly. We in the business community stand by our commitment to partner with government so that Filipinos can resume their lives, with utmost care and proper precautions.”

Josephine Gotianun-Yap, Filinvest Development Corp. President and CEO, recognized the need for timely data analysis and surveillance. “We laud the efforts of the government to get us back to our normal lives. Timely and efficient data gathering, and reporting are also crucial. We are willing to continue to lend technical assistance to local government units to strengthen field surveillance for prompt data so immediate action can be done,” she said during the briefing.

Manny V. Pangilinan, Chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corp, PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc., also stressed how important contact tracing is if people will be learning to live while managing the virus. As such, more technology should be used such as the contact tracing app, StaySafe.ph. “We need more accurate contact tracing as more of our employees go back to work,” he said.

For parties interested in participating in T3, please contact Bill Luz of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation at gm.luz@competitive.org.ph.

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Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join us today—and I hope that you all are keeping safe and healthy during these challenging times. I am delighted to welcome you to our second Ayala Enterprise Circle virtual forum, focusing on Health and Wellness for SMEs in the Time of COVID-19.

For those joining us for the first time, let me just provide a quick background on the Ayala Enterprise Circle. The AEC is the Ayala Group’s platform to support and engage our country’s Small and Medium Enterprises. SMEs are critical components of the economy, comprising 99.5% of the country’s registered businesses, and accounting for 63% of employment and 35% of the national GDP. Within the Ayala Group, 250,000 SMEs are vital economic partners of our different companies. We thank all our SME partners for your continued trust and support.

Through the AEC, we aim to provide access to useful information, tools, and partners to enable SMEs to scale and succeed through various exclusive programs. This webinar is part and parcel of a larger set of activities within the AEC, which includes industry expert mentorship, online classes and masterclass training, and business-matching and co-marketing opportunities. We will provide further information on these in the next few months. We hope that you will join us as members of this exclusive network.

The Ayala Enterprise Circle is just one component of the Ayala Group’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early in the crisis, we felt that it was important to find ways where we can meaningfully help the country. As we were thinking about our response as a group of companies, we made sure that the principles of Putting People First and Public-Private Partnerships will be central to our decision-making.

When the Enhanced Community Quarantine was announced back in March, our immediate priority was the welfare of the stakeholders that we touch daily. This includes our employees, our suppliers and partners—which includes all of you—and the broader community. We continue to develop programs to help in the economic and health needs of our stakeholders during the current pandemic, and in the near future, when the world finally recovers from this emergency.

Despite the pains that COVID-19 has caused, it opened an opportunity for different sectors to come together and work for a common purpose. Over the last three months, it was very encouraging to see both the government and private sector working this close together on several initiatives.

Out of this crisis, we saw a tremendous opportunity to help upgrade the country’s facilities and capabilities. Health and Wellness is one area where there is strong Public-Private Partnership. This was done through Task Force T3, which counts close to 40 private organizations working hand-in-hand with government on the COVID-19 response effort. 

For Ayala, our teams at our healthcare company, AC Health, quickly mobilized and developed a Triage, Testing, Treatment, and Tracking framework to assist both our employees and the broader public. Let me just quickly go through some components of the framework:

On patient screening, which we call triage, we continued to operate over 75 of our FamilyDOC and Healthway clinics to provide extended frontline services, and non-COVID-related treatments to patients. As of the second week of June, we have screened and referred to appropriate facilities over 15,000 suspected cases of COVID-19. In addition to our physical clinics, we also recently launched HealthNow, a free web-based platform that connects patients and doctors for teleconsultation services.

On Testing, the Ayala Group is part of a consortium of several companies that is building 7 laboratories capable of the gold standard RT-PCR tests for COVID-19. This will add approximately 5,500 tests per day to our national testing capacity. Two of these facilities have already been inaugurated: a laboratory in the Tropical Disease Foundation in Makati and QualiMed Sta. Rosa in Nuvali. We have also completed the installation of the RT-PCR machines in University of Cebu Medical Center and Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City. For interested parties, AC Health is offering rapid testing services to companies and individuals. Our friends from AC Health will be able to provide more information on this service later in our program.

On Treatment, one key initiative is the upgrading of QualiMed Sta. Rosa in Nuvali into a COVID-19 facility. As mentioned, we have already completed a COVID-19 testing laboratory and triage area. This is one piece of a larger effort to improve the hospital’s capabilities, which includes the construction of quarantine areas, expansion of ICU facilities, increase in the number of beds for COVID-19 patients, and recruitment of a top-notch team of well-trained, fully-equipped, and protected medical professionals.

Aside from this, together with the Department of Public Works, the ICCP Group, and other partners, Ayala led in the conversion of the World Trade Center into a 502-bed quarantine facility, which is the biggest in the country and was completed in just seven days. We also constructed swabbing booths for the testing requirements of our returning OFWs.

These are just some of the many initiatives where the public and private sectors are working together for a strong and effective response to COVID-19. This crisis has highlighted the opportunity to upgrade our country’s healthcare capacity. COVID-19 has shown us how important it is to stay at the forefront of the country’s needs, and we remain committed to helping improve the country’s healthcare system moving forward.

However, let us continue to keep in mind that the battle against the virus is far from over and there will continue to be challenges, given the unprecedented scale and nature of this crisis. Nevertheless, with quarantine restrictions relaxing and parts of the economy steadily restarting, I encourage everyone to continue to remain vigilant. Most importantly, I encourage everyone to continue placing the health and safety of our people and employees at the top of our priorities. They are, after all, the main reason why our businesses exist. We hope that this afternoon’s dialogue will provide valuable insights and guidance on how your businesses can best navigate today’s challenging times.  

We have a full agenda today, so let me not take any longer and quickly introduce our guests for today.

We are privileged to have Dr. Manuel M. Dayrit, our former Health Secretary, who was the lead person of government during the SARS outbreak back in 2003. He will be sharing with us his views on the COVID-19 crisis from a public health perspective, as well as present some thoughts on the various health challenges that are affecting Small and Medium Enterprises.

We also have Paolo Borromeo, President and CEO of AC Health, who will talk on various healthcare access options for SMEs as we transition out of strict quarantine and as we recover from the pandemic.  He will also be joined by members of our leadership team from Generika Drugstore, our FamilyDOC and Healthway clinics, and our Health Technologies company, Vigos to respond to your specific questions on healthcare access.

Once again, thank you for joining us this afternoon. I look forward to an enlightening and productive session. I wish you all continued strength of health and spirit in these difficult times.

The Ayala Group, led by Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc (AC Health), has partnered with the Aboitiz Foundation, ABS-CBN Corporation, Alfonso Yuchengco Foundation, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, and Metrobank Foundation to build 4 Biosafety Level 2 modular laboratories in Qualimed hospitals across the country. This consortium was formed as part of the Ayala Group’s initiative to contribute an additional capacity of 5,500 confirmatory RT-PCR tests per day in support of the Department of Health’s and the Inter-agency Task Force’s Project T3 (Test, Trace, Treat). Project T3 aims to expand national testing capacity to 50,000 tests per day by end-June.

“Increasing the country’s confirmatory testing capacity is not easy. We are grateful to have been able to form a consortium of friends from the private sector who are just as committed to battling this pandemic. The challenges we are all facing highlights the importance of private sector working in collaboration with the government to ensure our country’s recovery,” said Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Chairman of the Board of AC Health.

The Memorandum of Agreement between the different companies was accomplished on June 16, 2020. The donations will go towards the construction of facilities and the purchase of equipment for the new laboratories to be built under the Qualimed Health Network, led by its President and CEO, Dr. Edwin Mercado.

The members of the consortium have addressed COVID-19 through various initiatives.

The Aboitiz Group has so far contributed over P1.85 billion to COVID-19 response initiatives including monetary and in-kind (e.g. PPEs, food, and support equipment) donations. With its nationwide presence, Aboitiz has also been proactively assisting communities in Visayas and Mindanao through its various business units operating in the area.

“The Aboitiz Foundation is looking forward to partnering with AC Health and other private sector partners for this initiative. Our country needs to ramp up its confirmatory testing capacity, especially for our vulnerable communities, and we will do all that we can to respond to that need,” Sabin M. Aboitiz, Aboitiz Group President and Chief Executive Officer said.

For its part, ABS-CBN launched the “Ligtas Pilipinas sa COVID-19” information campaign. The network and the ABS-CBN Foundation also launched “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig,” a fundraising campaign, which has provided food and basic necessities to over 750,000 families with the help of private companies and local government units.

“ABS-CBN will continue to serve the Filipino people and work with our partners to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from our other initiatives, we hope this donation will reach critical areas that require much-needed access to confirmatory testing,” Carlo L. Katigbak, President and CEO of ABS-CBN Corporation added.

Meanwhile, the Alfonso Yuchengco Foundation (AYF) continues its financial and non-monetary aid for frontliners and vulnerable communities. This includes contributions to the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation to support Project Ugnayan and financial support to the Serosurveillance Campaign of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19.

“The AY Foundation is one with the government and the private sector in addressing the gaps in our country’s response to the pandemic. We are strong advocates of testing and hope that this initiative will strengthen the government’s efforts to control the spread of COVID-19,” said Mrs. Helen Y. Dee, AY Foundation Chairperson.

Similarly, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) created a P100 million COVID-19 relief fund dedicated to helping frontliners and government efforts to contain the virus. GBF has provided ventilators, COVID testing equipment, RT-PCR test kits, PPE sets, and food packs and vouchers to hospitals, LGUs, and other vulnerable sectors.

“We at the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation continue to mobilize efforts for COVID-19. From our frontliner relief efforts to our contributions to Project Ugnayan, we believe that this partnership is a great addition to the work we are doing. Through this, we aim to support the government’s request to help expand testing capacity in the country. We definitely see this as a priority,” Lisa Y. Gokongwei-Cheng, General Manager of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation emphasized.

As for the Metrobank Foundation, this partnership is part of the P200 million pledge by Metrobank and GT Capital Holdings Group through MBFI and GT Foundation, to fund and support efforts for COVID-19 such as the purchase of PPEs for frontliners, production of RT-PCR test kits, implementation of Rapid Testing in communities, distribution of meals, and construction and equipping of labs for testing.

“This health crisis necessitates a collective response. The Metrobank Foundation remains an ally of the government, private sector, and Filipino communities in the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that this partnership will contribute to arresting the spread of the virus through increased testing capacity,” Aniceto M. Sobrepeña, President of Metrobank Foundation, Inc added.

The laboratories will be located in hospitals of the Qualimed Health Network in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, Tanauan, Batangas, and Iloilo City, Iloilo. Each lab, equipped with 1 automated RNA extractor and 2 RT-PCR machines, will have the capacity to perform 1,000 RT-PCR tests/day. The innovative and efficient modular set-up, designed and built by Makati Development Corporation (MDC), will accelerate construction timelines for the laboratories. The laboratories are expected to be accredited and operational by July 2020.

Previously, AC Health announced its partnership with the Tropical Disease Foundation in Makati, the University of Cebu Hospital in Mandaue City, Cebu, and the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao to upgrade their laboratory facilities for COVID-19 testing.

Davao City, Philippines – June 4, 2020. Davao City is set to increase its daily testing capacity for COVID-19 by 1,000 tests with the help of medical equipment being donated to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) today.

An automated RNA Extraction machine and 2 RT-PCR machines and their accessories were received by officials of the SPMC Davao in a handover ceremony this morning led by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte–Carpio. This donation will help boost Davao City’s COVID-19 testing capacity by a maximum of 1,000 tests per day.

“The people of Davao City and the entire Mindanao are truly grateful for this generous assistance from Ayala Foundation. Know that this donation will help us with our offense. Noon, we were scrambling to defend our areas, but now we are on the offensive against COVID-19 and these donations will greatly help us in our work,” said Duterte–Carpio.

The donation is an expression of the Ayala group’s continuing commitment to helping contain the COVID-19 pandemic, as it participates in Task Force T3 (Test, Trace, and Treat) convened by the Inter-Agency Task Force–National Task Force (IATF-NTF) and the Department of Health (DOH).

The SPMC donation is one of other similar initiatives that seek to capacitate existing testing facilities and build testing laboratories in different parts of the country. Ayala, through Ayala Land and AC Health, are constructing testing labs in Bulacan, Batangas, Laguna, and Iloilo.

Together, the Ayala group’s various contributions to Project T3 will boost the country’s daily testing capacity by 5,500. At present, the country conducts about 34,000 tests daily.

“We welcome the testing laboratories from Ayala, as these will be a big help to our efforts to stamp out COVID-19 in the country, and improve the country’s health situation in general,” said Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the IATF National Action Plan Against COVID-19.

“We recognize that the private sector plays an important role in our shared fight against COVID-19, and Ayala’s donation of testing equipment and laboratories are a welcome contribution,” said Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementer of the IATF  National Action Plan Against COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Ayala group has mobilized resources in support of national efforts through the provision of equipment and protective gear for medical and community front-liners, as well as food and other basic necessities for families in different communities nationwide.

Together with partners from the business community, PDRF and Caritas Manila, Ayala took an active part in Project Ugnayan, which provided grocery vouchers for nearly 7 million individuals or 1.5 million families in Greater Manila Area’s poor communities.

Ayala also helped convert the World Trade Center into the 500-bed We Heal As One Center for COVID-19 patients. The group also helped build the testing facilities of Philippine Red Cross.

Through Ayala Foundation, the Ayala group’s 50,000-plus employees initiated Project Pananagutan, which supports “no work, no pay” employees of partner companies, front-line health workers in need of protective personal equipment, and families in need of food and other basic needs.

The Ayala group has also been working closely with the SPMC in the past few years. In 2018, Ayala donated laser eye equipment for the treatment of cancer patients at the SPMC Cancer Institute. Last December, the Ayala group officially turned over the newly refurbished House of Hope Halfway House, where pediatric patients of the SPMC Cancer Institute can stay with their families or caregivers, while they are undergoing treatment.

“The people of Davao City and the entire Mindanao are truly grateful for this generous assistance from Ayala Foundation. Know that this donation will help us with our offense. Noon, we were scrambling to defend our areas, but now we are on the offensive against COVID-19 and these donations will greatly help us in our work,” said Davao City Mayor, Sara Duterte – Carpio who formally accepted the medical equipment donation of the Ayala group to Southern Philippines Medical Center to boost the city’s daily testing capacity by 1,000 per day.  In photo – upper left-right: Saiya Mohammad-Facility Manager of Manila Water, Kennedy Kapulong-General Manager of Seda Abreeza, Art Gerald Perez-Area Business Director for BPI, Janice Parreño- Mindanao Area Head of Ayala Malls.  Bottom left-right: Dr. Annabelle Yumang- DOH Redional Director, DOH USec. Abdullah Dumama Jr., Dr. Leopoldo Vega- Medical Director of SPMC, Mayor Sara Duterte, James Lopez- Globe External Affairs for Mindanao, DOH ASec. Roy Ferrer

The Ayala Group, led by its healthcare unit, Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health), will build 4 BSL-2 laboratories and help capacitate 3 existing laboratories in Makati, Cebu, and Davao, for an additional capacity of 5,500 confirmatory RT-PCR tests per day for the country. This is part of the group’s contribution to the Department of Health and the Inter-agency Task Force’s Project T3 (Test, Trace, Treat), that aims to expand the national confirmatory testing capacity to 50,000 tests per day by June.

“At the Ayala Group, we are big believers in testing and are one with the government in their efforts to expand our country’s capacity. By constructing new laboratories and expanding capacity for existing ones, we will increase access to confirmatory RT-PCR testing for COVID-19 in many critical areas,” Ayala Corporation President and COO Fernando Zobel de Ayala said.

In the past week, the AC Health group, led by Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and Fernando Zobel de Ayala, welcomed Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr., Chief Implementer, and Sec. Vince Dizon, Deputy Chief Implementer of the IATF’s National Action Plan Against COVID-19, to the laboratories at the Tropical Disease Foundation and Qualimed Sta. Rosa for a tour of the facilities that the Ayala Group has upgraded and built.

“These additional testing laboratories will provide a major boost to the country’s health system, particularly in scaling up our capacity to conduct targeted COVID-19 testing, as we gradually open up our economy,” Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr. said.

“The DOH and the IATF are grateful to see our private sector partners, such as the Ayala Group, quickly and actively step up to this challenge and contribute to expanding testing capacity in the country. These are important wins for all of us, and we look forward to our continued partnership as we face the long-road ahead in the battle against COVID-19,” Sec. Vince Dizon added.

AC Health partnered with the Qualimed Health Network, led by its President and CEO, Dr. Edwin Mercado, to build 4 modular-type BSL-2 laboratories that will be located in their hospitals at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Tanauan, Batangas, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, and Iloilo City, Iloilo. This innovative and efficient modular set-up, designed and built by Makati Development Corporation (MDC), will accelerate construction timelines for other laboratories.

Currently, the laboratory in Qualimed Sta. Rosa is on Level 3 of the DOH-RITM’s accreditation process and aims to be accredited by June 8. AC Health has been working closely with the Department of Health to ensure timely accreditation, and the rest of the laboratories of the Qualimed network target to be accredited and operational by end-June.

The modular BSL-2 laboratories, which follow the recommended design by the DOH, RITM, and WHO, are equipped with fully-automated RNA extraction and RT-PCR systems and can process about 1,000 confirmatory RT-PCR tests per day. The laboratory will be supervised by 2 Board-certified pathologists with training in molecular diagnostics.

AC Health and the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. (BCFI) have also partnered with the Tropical Disease Foundation (TDF) to establish TDF’s capability to conduct confirmatory RT-PCR tests for COVID-19. TDF is an existing Biosafety Level 2+ lab, and a specialty laboratory in tuberculosis research. AC Health and BCFI provided the facility with RT-PCR machines and equipment such as PCR and RNA extraction kits, biological safety cabinets, and a laboratory-grade refrigerator, among others.

On May 28, TDF was officially accredited by the DOH and can now process about 200 confirmatory RTPCR tests per day.

In the Visayas region, AC Health has set out to partner with the University of Cebu Medical Center in Mandaue City, one of the leading private hospitals in Cebu, to expand their capacity by 250 tests per day. In the Mindanao region, AC Health and the Ayala Foundation will donate RT-PCR machines to the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City to increase their capacity by 1,000 confirmatory RT-PCR tests daily.

Apart from the Ayala Group, this network of laboratories has been made possible through the generous donation of a consortium of private sector companies.

“Increasing the country’s confirmatory testing capacity is not an easy feat, but AC Health, together with all of our partners, remain committed to fill these gaps in our healthcare system. I would like to thank all of our partners in both the public and private sector who continue to work towards the same goal of fighting COVID-19 by improving the testing capabilities of the entire country,” AC Health President and CEO Paolo Borromeo added.

Makati, Philippines – May 29, 2020 Ensuring the safety of employees and customers should be the top priority of the private sector as the economy reopens, said Ayala Corporation Chairman & CEO, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, during the multi-sectoral webinar “Balik Kabuhayan” hosted by Go Negosyo today.

“I don’t think there is ever a perfect time. I think the government did the right thing in forcing a hard quarantine. I think it’s been good for the country. But it’s a balancing act against the need for an economy to come back to life,” Zobel said, urging his fellow business leaders to establish safety protocols as Metro Manila is placed under general community quarantine.

According to Zobel, the private sector has the ability to move quickly and address issues upfront. Hence, he sees the “new normal” as the perfect time to strengthen public–private partnership, which has proven to be very fruitful in the last few months of ECQ.

The Ayala group has contributed close to P6.5 billion in anti-COVID initiatives. Most notable of which is its support to the government-led Taskforce T3, which included the conversion of the World Trade Center into a 502-bed quarantine facility, donation of swabbing booths for all 4 Mega Swabbing Centers, conversion of Qualimed – Sta. Rosa into a COVID-19 referral hospital, and the building of 5 COVID testing facilities in strategic areas in Luzon and Visayas to augment the country’s capacity to trace, test, and treat COVID-19 patients.

Ayala is also a supporter of Project ARK (Antibody Rapid test Kits), a private sector-led initiative that complements the government’s effort to make massive testing accessible at the community level.

Also present in the webinar were Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, former health secretary Esperanza Cabral, Representative Janette Garin, and Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin. All speakers agreed on the reopening the economy but urged the private sector to take strict safety protocols.

Internally, the Ayala group adopted a healthcare protocol called the 4T Framework for Triage, Testing, Treatment, and Tracking to protect the collective heath of the organization and prepare for the eventual re-entry of its workforce. This framework enables the group to monitor each employee’s risk conditions and health profile, allowing it to extend the necessary healthcare assistance, if and when needed, and to make informed decisions about which work arrangement would be best for a specific individual.

Zobel also noted that this pandemic has made the private and the public sectors realize the importance of strengthening the healthcare industry. As for the Ayala group, the COVID-19 pandemic strengthened AC Health’s commitment to the healthcare space by continuing to invest in capacity and capability building through an integrated healthcare ecosystem with key pillars in pharma, clinics, hospitals, and digital healthcare.

“There is always something to learn from difficult situations, both personal and professional, and we should reflect after this as a community. See where we need to strengthen so we create a society that’s stronger and can face these problems better in the future,” Zobel said.

The Ayala group adopted a 4T Framework for Triage, Testing, Treatment, and Tracking to protect the collective heath of the organization and prepare for the eventual re-entry of its workforce. This framework enables the group to monitor each employee’s risk conditions and health profile, allowing it to extend the necessary healthcare assistance, if and when needed, and to make informed decisions about which work arrangement would be best for a specific individual.

Makati, Philippines – May 29, 2020 The Ayala Group of Companies has released an original song written by Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, National Artist of the Philippines for Music in 2018, to pay homage to over 18,000 members of its essential workforce.

“We are giving a special tribute to our many fellow Ayala citizens, who continue to provide critical services to our stakeholders amidst COVID-19—those who ensure that our facilities remain safe for our employees, clients, and customers; those who ensure the continuous delivery of essential services through our banks and our power, water, and telco, facilities; and the many others who brave the dangers of the ongoing pandemic as we adapt to this new world,” said Ayala Corporation President & COO Fernando Zobel de Ayala.

Since the pandemic struck the Philippines, essential workers across the group have been selflessly dedicating themselves to serving the needs of the Filipino. AC Health’s medical practitioners across its network of clinics and drugstores have been reporting to work to provide much needed clinic, pharmaceutical, and telemedicine services. Manila Water, AC Energy, and Globe Telecom personnel have worked non-stop to ensure the continued availability of water, power, and connectivity, respectively. Ayala Land’s property management team has also continued to keep its malls, buildings, and communities safe and clean during this pandemic. The Ayala Group recognizes these workers, among its many others, who continue to serve the nation during this difficult period.

“We offer this tribute to our Ayala heroes, to honor their spirit of hope amidst today’s troubling times. We hope that this captures and reinforces Ayala’s promise to our fellow Filipinos—that in the face of the darkest of challenges, we remain committed to building a brighter tomorrow for all our stakeholders; and that through unity of strength and purpose, we can all make a meaningful and indelible impact to the lives of the Filipino,” said John Philip S. Orbeta, Ayala Corporation Chief Human Resource Officer and Group Head of Corporate Resources.

The Ayala Group essential workforce was featured in a music video together with Cayabyab’s original song, entitled “Nandiyan Ka”, in a livestreamed private event earlier today.

“For a song like this, which is a tribute, I decided that it was going to be a theme for you, for the individuals. So nandiyan ka. Nandiyan ka kahit bumabagyo o umuulan, nandiyan ka in normal times, nandiyan ka in crises, and in pandemics like this… Nandiyan ka—you are there. You are working. So this is a song for all of you,” said Cayabyab in his address to the Ayala Group, as he explained the meaning behind the song.

“Nandiyan Ka”, will be available on Spotify starting May 31, 2020, and the music video can be viewed at bit.ly/AyalaNandiyanKa.

Makati, Philippines – May 22, 2020 The Ayala Group (Ayala) has launched the Ayala Enterprise Circle (AEC), a group-wide Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) network that enhances the group’s ongoing initiatives to educate, connect, and enable SMEs. This synergistic initiative is currently focused on helping its existing 250,000 SME partners continue their operations and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Today’s times are certainly unprecedented and very challenging for enterprises of all sizes, much especially for our SMEs who have always been critical players in our country’s economy… We realized that now, more than ever, do we need to accelerate our efforts to proactively reach out to you,” said Ayala Corporation Chairman & CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala during his welcome address at AEC’s first ever webinar attended by over 900 Ayala SME clients, suppliers, and partners. “We envision the Ayala Enterprise Circle as a network where you, our valued SME partners, can have access to exclusive Ayala Group solutions and offerings, expert mentorship from industry leaders, online dialogues and masterclasses, and business-matching and co-marketing opportunities. We are very excited for what this program has to offer, and we hope that you would continue to join us in this journey as members of this exclusive network.”

The group has been working since the onset of the pandemic to help meet SMEs’ critical needs, such as financial support, business continuity, and healthcare.

As of May 19, 2020, the Ayala group has helped ease the strain on its SME partners through P766-M worth of free services and business operations fees. The latter includes, among others, rental condonations. Ayala Malls alone has waived P280-M covering over 2,400 of Ayala Malls’ SMEs in the last two months.

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has encouraged its SME clients to take advantage of its Loan Reprieve Program (a loan payment deferment program) for up to 90 days to help them manage their cash flows affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). BPI also waived interbank transfer fees to lighten client costs when transferring funds to other local banks for the duration of the ECQ.

Similar grace period programs were extended for qualified loan clients (for credit card, auto, personal, and home loans). BPI was one of the first banks to proactively offer deferred payment programs when the ECQ was first announced, and have since updated them to align with the Bayanihan Act. BPI is now working with PhilGuarantee to refine its loan products for qualified clients.

Ayala is also helping SMEs cope with the disruptions brought about by the ECQ through various business continuity solutions. Globe Telecom (Globe), for example, is helping SMEs thrive through various connectivity offerings to keep their businesses running from home, or to support their online operations. Similarly, Ayala Malls and Zalora are exploring new retail and ecommerce models to give SME tenants an alternative digital channel, with the former serving as community pick-up points for digital purchases.

Lastly, the Ayala group has been working to help protect the health of its workforce, including its SME network, by ensuring the continued availability of AC Health’s clinic, pharmaceutical, and telemedicine services. AC Health has made HealthNow, a web-based online consultation platform, available to everyone including Ayala Group SMEs, free of charge until June.

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. Though SMEs have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, the Ayala group recognizes their significance in sustaining the national economy. It remains fully committed to supporting its existing SME partners during this difficult period through various AEC initiatives in the months to come.

“Across the Ayala Group, we have a renewed commitment to all of our partner SMEs, who have been with us through so many years and have been gravely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. We want to assure them all that we at the Ayala group remain steadfast in our support, and we thank them for their continued trust in us. Through Ayala Enterprise Circle, we hope to forge even deeper partnerships with our SME network as we move forward together into the ‘New Normal,’” said John Philip S. Orbeta, Ayala Corporation’s Chief Human Resource Officer and Group Head of Corporate Resources, who heads the AEC. 

Learn more: https://www.ayalaenterprisecircle.com/