Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times: Asian Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact during COVID-19

ASIA BUSINESS COUNCIL HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 12 Ayala Corp (Philippines) Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times needed to be more proactive,” said Bill Luz, an Ayala executive who became the first Chief Resilience Officer of PDRF. As part of the strategic shift, JAZA chaired a task force and Luz managed an effort that culminated in PDRF building the world’s first private sector-run national emergency operations center (EOC) in a former U.S. Air Force base in Clark, Pampanga. The EOC coordinates business contributions to disaster management and helps companies reduce their risk and plan resiliency measures. Project Ugnayan When the coronavirus hit the Philippines in early 2020, PDRF was able to mobilize the business community to mount an impactful food relief initiative, Project Ugnayan, within a short period of time. Through funds raised for Project Ugnayan, PDRF became the single largest source of COVID-19 financial assistance in the Philippines by dollar value, contributing $35.3 million (₱1.7 billion). The idea for Project Ugnayan was sparked by Metro Manila’s enhanced community quarantine in March 2020, a lockdown measure to slow the spread of the pandemic that also meant a sudden and drastic loss of income for informal workers. “If their issues were not addressed, they would face significant hardship,” said JAZA, who serves as co-chair and trustee of PDRF. With his brother Fernando Zobel de Ayala, COO and president of Ayala, JAZA reached out to the business community for financial support. A total of 270 companies and individuals signed on to the project, with many of the larger partners joining in the first 24 to 48 hours. The brothers settled on distributing aid in the form of ₱1,000 vouchers from supermarket chains in low-income areas of Manila. Distributing one voucher per family was more efficient than cash donations because the Philippines has no national identification system that could be used to send bank transfers. Vouchers also eliminated the need for oversight of large in-person cash transfers, while offering recipients more choice than in-kind donations. Notably, the vouchers were distributed via the parish system of the Catholic Church, a trusted partner with close ties to communities in the majority- Catholic Philippines. PDRF and Caritas Manila, the social services arm of the archdiocese of Manila, together provided over 14 million individuals with food aid. The gift checks were distributed in the Manila metro area and nine other dioceses on the main island of Luzon. In addition to alleviating hunger, Project Ugnayan lessened the need for working-class families to leave their homes to earn money during the lockdown, contributing to the effectiveness of public health measures.