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

ASIA BUSINESS COUNCIL HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1 4 Ayala Corp (Philippines) Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times promote the greater good: “Out of a negative situation came one where trust and a sense of communal undertaking became priorities.” At the creation of the task force, the Philippine government faced two major challenges. The first was a lack of testing capacity. The government needed to test 30,000 individuals per day to ensure it had sufficient data to determine when it would be safe to lift the lockdowns imposed in March. But laboratory constraints meant the country could administer only 4,500 tests per day. The second challenge was to provide sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, who accounted for over 15 percent of confirmed COVID-19 cases at the time. 8 The private sector provided financial support, and government and civil society organizations seconded staff. Each work stream had both a public and a private co-chair or champion to ensure representation from all sides. Internally, Ayala Corp. assembled a dedicated team of project managers and project associates to carry out initiatives. Over time, the Ayala group began to shift more responsibilities to the government side, emphasizing that they viewed their role as a supplement to the government response. Testing The combined efforts of Task Force T3 increased the number of laboratories able to conduct COVID-19 tests to 198 as of December 21, 2020, up from 17 in April when Task Force T3 was formed. The expanded laboratory capacity subsequently increased national operational testing capacity to over 120,000 tests per day in December, up from just 4,500 tests per day in late April. By July, the Philippines led the ASEAN region in COVID-19 tests conducted per day. 9 Ayala Corp. also formed a consortium of seven companies that contributed seven biosafety level 2 laboratories for COVID-19 testing. Together, the companies upgraded three existing laboratories and built four new laboratories. AC Health led the consortium, which included Qualimed Health Network, owner of the hospital where the new laboratories would be located, and Ayala Land’s subsidiary Makati Development Corp., creator of the modular laboratory design. Upon completion, these laboratories could process 5,500 tests per day, accounting for approximately 10 percent of national daily testing capacity at COVID-19 testing site of Manila Water (an Ayala company) PHOTO: ROLLY BARAYANG/AYALA CORPORATION