CAIRO – Bahrain civil aviation affairs said on Tuesday that entry will be banned from 16 new countries including Tunisia, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Philippines, south Africa and Indonesia over coronavirus concerns, the state news agency (BNA) reported.
Bahrain had suspended entry of travellers from countries on its “Red List” in May, a list that included India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
Bahrain has excluded citizens and residents with valid residency visas from the ban. — Reuters
DDB Asia CEO David Tang during his talk at DDB Group Philippines’ virtualtown hall
MANILA — DDB Group Philippines, a leading integrated marketing communications group in the country, wrapped up the first half of 2021 with DDB Asia CEO David Tang as guest speaker in its virtual town hall.
For DDB Group Philippines Chairman & CEO Gil G. Chua, having the Asia CEO of the worldwide marketing communications network in their company meeting was an opportunity to learn more about DDB’s new global positioning as well as to catch up with a colleague and old friend.
“I always look forward to chatting with David, whom I last saw in his DDB Group Singapore office in 2019. He has always been there to lend a hand and guide me and the agency,” Mr. Chua said.
Mr. Tang opened the virtual conference by saying that the Philippine office must surely be “the happiest DDB agency” having topped the charts in terms of the agency network’s yearly employee engagement survey.
He then talked about DDB’s new global positioning dubbed “Unexpected Works” which made waves around the DDB world and the global advertising industry in the past month.
Like Marvel superheroes
Mr. Tang recounted how at the global level, right in the midst of the pandemic, DDB spent the last six months putting together what they thought can really inspire the world and help the agency network and its clients prepare for a new tomorrow.
He said that, at the onset, coming together has been one of the best things about the Unexpected Works.
“It is so unexpected of DDB because we’re so strong as local heroes. But when we do come together, we unleash our strengths like a bunch of Marvel Superheroes,” he said.
The objective of the whole exercise was to give this Co-Creativity a new kind of belief, a new kind of ambition, and also a new kind of optimism. Thus the new creative positioning “Unexpected Works” was born.
“I like that the focus of our new positioning is to further inspire courage and innovation, that guts to say that we must find better ways as we go forward. That we don’t get stuck with a formula. It actually brings out that creative spirit that is always within us for tomorrow,” he said.
One of the key things that DDB has begun to unleash to find unexpected works is to start a new creative evolution in marketing. It encourages one to look ahead at what clients really need in growth marketing and achieve that kind of business transformation.
“Creativity is a much bigger asset than we imagine. Our clients are looking at creative ways to grow. It goes back to what Bill Bernbach did as he transformed brands, marketing and businesses in truly unexpected ways,” he added.
Two dimensions of change
Mr. Tang further explained that “Unexpected Works” brings the agency network to two dimensions of change for the DDB of tomorrow.
The first dimension represents the ambition to go higher with Growth Consulting aided by insights and best practices.
Mr. Tang said that clients’ CMOs or CEOs are thinking about how they can grow the business. Across every category, they are into deep learning of how best to grow, from marketing to product innovation to new consumer demand and values.
“This is where we must further look at growth strategy in terms of best practices and innovation. We must have the insights and intelligence to advise our clients way before we do the advertising. The world has changed irrevocably in 2020. The demands for marketing innovation has accelerated and DDB has more amazing ways to contribute to the clients we work with,” he said.
He pointed out that in every local market, among DDB’s biggest clients, there is the challenge and the mandate to show how creativity can really drive marketing growth.
“It’s no longer the age of the lone genius. Going upstream with consulting with the help of global research firms like Rocsearch, OMNI and Forrester now arms us with the best practices and capability to talk to the CEO with ideas on how to grow the business. We study into what works and then make it better. In North America and Europe, we have been running Accelerator Workshops. We can be more creative and impactful by learning and collaborating with expert partners beyond DDB,” he stressed.
The second space for growth for the DDB of tomorrow that the Asia CEO discussed represents the ambition to go deeper with Data-led, Digital-Run Content Creativity.
He said that, in the past, we run an ad, somebody runs to the store and buys it. Now literally, your ad is a sales offer. Somebody with two clicks could be transacting. So it is a powerful new frontier.
“Creativity is often born out of very smart insights, intelligence and precedents. It is not some fantasy agenda; it is a results-seeking missile. We just have to use it in a bigger and much braver way like helping clients get in the frontier of social commerce,” he said.
Indeed, data-led, digital-run, contextual creativity that gets into online and digital commerce is now a center of excellence that DDB has begun to roll out.
Mr. Tang concluded by reminding everyone that, while data and technology have a big part in what will move us forward, what we are ultimately here to offer is creativity. It calls for both heart and brain, and lots of courage and honesty, in the journey to Unexpected Works.
The new normal has changed the way businesses function across all industries. This pandemic caused unprecedented challenges and monumental shifts from rising costs, additional regulatory requirements, stiffer competition, risk & operational management, to unsatisfied and dwindling customers. More and more businesses are closing down or barely surviving.
Outsourcing as a solution
In order to cope with these challenges and accelerate business recovery and growth, thriving companies are quickly evolving and adopting smart strategies. They fully utilize the power of outsourcing as a source of competitive advantage. Outsourcing allows businesses to expand their organizational capacity and capabilities, improve service and efficiencies, manage risks better, cut costs and save and many more benefits!
Choose a trusted partner
Customer Frontline Solutions (CFS) – a subsidiary of Bayad under MERALCO, led by its Chairman Mr. Edgar V. Carasig and President Mr. Lawrence Y. Ferrer, aims to be the face of service creating happy customers for businesses and enriching Filipino lives by providing meaningful jobs.CFS, established in 2008, is the pioneer in outsourced tellering and customer services. With its2,000 frontliners present in over 600 clients’ sites nationwide providing worry-free, end-to-end outsourcing solutions, CFS continues to help businesses grow. Its strategic outsourcing solutions combine PEOPLE + TECHNOLOGY + REGULATORY COMPLIANCE + RELATIONSHIP to ensure customer engagement and client satisfaction. Every solution is customized to match the needs of the clients and their customers. From People and Process Outsourcing, Contact Center Solutions, Document Management to purpose-built Digital Solutions, CFS is trusted by top corporations in the Philippines and is the home of Customer Champions like you.
Case studies
Notwithstanding the enhanced Community Quarantine, CFS met the urgent needs of one of its clients during a crisis last year. At short notice, CFS was able to deploy almost a thousand Digital Customer Care Representatives for one of the biggest utility companies in the Philippines. In record time, CFS provided its People & Process Outsourcing Solution (PPO) for Project Hotline which included the sourcing, training, deployment and supervision of skilled and qualified Care Reps to help address the high volume of customer concerns. Project Hotline was so successful that the complaints backlog from various channels – social media, email, calls – was cleaned up ahead of the target schedule. The Client’s Customer Champion declared the project a resounding success. Once again, CFS created happy customers.
CFS is also being tapped by companies for their Document Management Solutions (DMS) requirement. CFS handles the digitization of physical documents, as well as their shredding in order to comply with the Data Privacy Act, as well as BIR’s 10-year document retention requirement. CFS’ DMS enables companies to go digital especially during this pandemic where many employees work from home and when now, customers are serviced mostly virtually.
CFS can help your business
What are your business pain points now? Flexible manning & process outsourcing, contact center, document digitization, digital apps to enable your business? Now, more than ever, is the time to rethink and reinvent your business strategies not just to survive, but importantly, to thrive, grow and create new customers.
CFS can be your third hand in running your business. Focus on your core business. Drive revenue growth. Acquire new customers. Generate savings. Let CFS help you. Whatever outsourcing requirement you may have, CFS is the partner you can trust.
To know more about Customer Frontline Solutions (CFS) and how they may help your business during this pandemic and beyond, email partners@cfs.com.ph now.
Silangan Mindanao Mining Co., Inc. joined in the celebration of Local Government Day 2020 and its continued partnership with and support of the local government in its host and neighboring communities.
By Chelsey Keith P. Ignacio
As the start of the COVID-19 crisis could insinuate challenges, Philex Mining Corp. and PXP Energy Corp. speedily responded to work for their continuity. At the same time, both companies persist in supporting their employees and the communities.
Heeding the call of its chairman, Manuel V Pangilinan, Philex put people first before profit in its service amid the pandemic.
“We first had to ensure that our employees and their dependents were safe and healthy. We also needed to take care of our host and neighboring communities, so we provided support and assistance to local government units in our respective project sites. Of course, we also responded to the call of the government to partner in its fight against COVID-19 in whatever way we can,” Philex said in an e-mail.
The mining company did COVID-19 relief operations as well, where P14 million of its Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) funds were re-allocated, shared Mr. Pangilinan in his message to stockholders.
Health supplies and goods, food packages, and cash assistance are among those given to affected communities in the company’s areas of operations.
Philex also began its CSR programs through its subsidiary, Silangan Mindanao Mining Co., Inc. (SMMCI), said Philex President and Chief Executive Officer Eulalio Austin, Jr.
This initiative focused on education, livelihood, and the promotion of socio-cultural activities within the host communities of 11 barangays and four municipalities in Surigao del Norte, said Mr. Austin.
As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process for the Silangan Project, SMMCI also began regularly conducting extensive and comprehensive information, education, and communication program with the concerned stakeholders.
Furthermore, Mr. Pangilinan acknowledged mining companies’ socio-economic contributions like creating jobs and meeting the community’s electricity and water supply needs. The industry can also be a “vital ally” of the government towards achieving economic recovery, he added.
“Chairman MVP has always iterated this: mining is not the enemy, poverty is,” Philex said. “As a leader in right and principled mining, [Philex] has always held itself out to respond to the call to partner with government in the fight against poverty, in the fight against COVID-19. Mining can and will be a potential driver for economic growth and recovery if allowed to flourish.”
Meanwhile, PXP Energy Corp. made several initiatives for sustainable development, as imparted in its annual report for 2020. During the pandemic, the oil and gas company provided online seminars for the professional advancement of its employees.
PXP also supported the improvement of local health facilities by providing solar electrification and generator sets. It gave several medical equipment or supplies to local clinics and rural health centers as well.
Last May, the company, along with its partners in SC 74, gave financial assistance to the Coron Licensed Tour Guides Association, thus helping members who lost their main source of livelihood as the pandemic affected tourism. The support also boosted the association’s fundraising activity.
PXP also firmly abides by environmental laws and policies, reporting that it accomplishes exploration, production, and development activities with minimum or no detrimental impacts to flora and fauna, marine, and onshore environment.
And while there are no indigenous peoples (IPs) living within its areas of operation, PXP nevertheless works to manage any of its impacts on the traditional lifestyles of IPs residing in neighboring islands or adjacent territories.
It also conducts cultural orientation for employees and addresses local concerns on health and safety before the fieldwork.
These are among PXP’s efforts in contributing to the pursuit of some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) intensified its handwashing campaign through donations of handwash stations and soaps to several local government units and public schools.
Water facilities have always been essential for health. But since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic deepens the importance of sanitation, the demand for clean and adequate water supply continues to overflow.
The Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad), aside from providing water solutions for 17 cities and municipalities that cover the West Zone of the Metropolitan Manila area, donated water-related needs for various communities, which also involved support in addressing the COVID-19 crisis.
In October last year, Maynilad strengthened its hand washing campaign by donating hand wash stations and soaps to several local government units (LGUs) and public schools.
Across its West concession area, the water company set up 26 hand-wash stations, where it also gave 1,170 one-liter liquid hand soaps.
Maynilad supported the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Brigada Eskwela 2020. It donated 1,878 one-gallon bottles of liquid hand soaps and disinfectants to some schools. It also provided around 250 posters that showed proper hand washing instructions to the DepEd-Quezon City Schools Division Office.
The water company continued to support DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela this year, donating essential supplies to 70 public schools in Metro Manila and Cavite. It gave 1,400 one-gallon bottles of liquid hand soaps and disinfectants and 800 buckets to different schools. The faculty and other school personnel received 4,600 washable face masks.
Amid the pandemic, Maynilad supported urban poor communities as well through sustaining its livelihood programs.
Maynilad tapped its pro-poor water service delivery program, Samahang Tubig Maynilad (STM) communities in Tondo, Manila and Riverview, Quezon City to create soaps, disinfectants, and face masks. It organized livelihood seminars and skills development training for these STM communities. The said communities, with their products for sale to Maynilad and other buyers, have their income somehow increased.
Hydration support was also provided to frontliners. In the first month of COVID-19 quarantine, Maynilad gave 15,000 bottled water pieces to the Philippine Navy, Philippine National Police, Metro Manila Development Authority, National Capital Region Police Office, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Philippine General Hospital, several local government units, and to different checkpoints.
Maynilad once more provided hydration support to medical frontliners last April. Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital, De Los Santos Medical Center, Dr. Jesus C. Delgado Memorial Hospital, Lourdes Hospital, and Sacred Heart Hospital of Malolos were among the 42 private and public hospitals in Metro Manila that received 14,000 bottled water pieces and meals from Maynilad.
Moreover, last year, the water company assisted in growing the testing capacity of the Philippines by building a P15-million COVID-19 testing and laboratory center inside the Delos Santos Medical Center compound in Quezon City.
Maynilad also made an effort to protect its employees through COVID-19 vaccinations. This month, employees, including their family members and household companions, started to get their vaccines at the Maynilad Head Office in Old Balara, Quezon City. — Chelsey Keith P. Ignacio
In celebration of The Philippine STAR’s 34th anniversary, its lifestyle platform PhilSTAR L!fe launched “In Between: The Art of Moving Forward,” which shared stories by over 100 writers about life and the nation during the COVID-19 crisis.
By Bjorn Biel M. Beltran, Special Features Writer
Nowadays, in the so-called age of information, it goes without saying that information is the most valuable asset. Yet, the challenge has mostly never been the access to information, but access to information that is both accurate and relevant.
Particularly during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, when fear and uncertainty about the world run rampant, valuable, verifiable, and credible information is the most useful tool for survival. In many cases, truth is a source of hope.
Which is why media conglomerate MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. (MediaQuest), the mother company of some of the biggest media players in the country, has constantly strived to provide the latest and most up-to-date information on the crisis as it continues to unfold more than a year later.
With a proven track record of credible and strong journalistic expertise, the companies under the MediaQuest umbrella have ensured that Filipinos have the most relevant and most accurate information on the country’s current state of affairs.
Since even before the outbreak of COVID-19, The Philippine STAR, one of the country’s most widely-circulated newspapers, has provided reports on the novel virus spreading in southern China towards the latter end of 2019.
In celebration of The Philippine STAR’s 34th anniversary, its lifestyle platform PhilSTAR L!fe launched “In Between: The Art of Moving Forward” which shared stories by over 100 writers about life and the nation during the COVID-19 crisis.
When the lockdown began, the newspaper firm’s online counterpart, philstar.com, offered Filipinos constant updates on COVID-19 cases through a daily tally, in addition to the breadth of coverage and commentary provided by the STAR’s writers. Even today, Filipinos can stay updated on the ongoing government rollout of COVID-19 vaccines through #VACCINEWATCHPH.
Meanwhile, BusinessWorld, the country’s oldest and most respected business daily, built on its reputation among the industry leaders and decision-makers in the Philippine business community to launch BusinessWorld Insights, an online forum series that sought to provide an avenue for discussion about the country’s most pressing matters.
Among the most recent forums talked about how COVID-19 has driven innovation in public health, as well as the importance of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria to companies in the post-pandemic world.
Leveraging the digital platform to provide a virtual space for local and international experts also gave birth to the BusinessWorld Virtual Economic Forum, which drew in speakers from organizations like the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, APEC, and the United Nations to discuss how to reimagine the future after COVID-19.
Also part of the PhilSTAR Media Group are Cebu-based, English-language broadsheet The Freeman; Filipino-language tabloids Pilipino Star Ngayon and Pang-Masa; Cebuano-language tabloid Banat; and online news portal InterAksyon.
MediaQuest is also home to TV5 Network, Inc., one of the Philippines’ major television players. At present, its assets include the broadcast television networks 5 and 5 Plus; the national radio station Radyo5 92.3 News FM; the regional radio network Radyo5; and satellite television channels Colours, One Sports, One News, One PH, Sari-Sari Channel, and PBA Rush. It also operates international television channels Kapatid Channel and AksyonTV International; as well as digital and online portals Digital5, TV5.com.ph, ESPN5.com, and News5 Digital.
Such a wide reach allows MediaQuest to continually provide aid and support to Filipinos in need, especially during the crisis. Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Inc., the social development arm of TV5, is committed to promote and support humanitarian causes, utilizing TV5’s different media outlets to involve the public through various programs and promote civic participation.
For instance, working with PLDT, the foundation has provided hygiene kits and food packs to indigent communities severely affected by the community quarantine. This effort was further bolstered by the Makati Medical Center Foundation, through the provision of blankets to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police quarantine facilities as well as some frontline healthcare workers from the Makati Medical Center.
Tulong Kapatid, which includes Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Makati Medical Center Foundation, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Investments Foundation, PLDT, Smart, PLDT-Smart Foundation, Inc., and One Meralco Foundation, together with other Manny V Pangilinan-led companies, is set to provide more meals and PPEs to frontline workers nationwide.
“We are fortunate that TV5 belongs to the MVP Group of companies that has important utilities in its portfolio — namely, power, telco and healthcare. All these allied organizations have provided a network of services that enable employees across the group to plan and implement ways of working during this pandemic,” Dino M. Laurena, chief operating officer of Media5 Marketing Corporation, said in an email.
He added that the leadership of Mr. Pangilinan has enabled the organization to embrace change in the current business environment and find ways for their employees to continue to do their roles in spite of the limitations.
“Specific to TV5, we continue to provide content to the public that keeps them informed and entertained during these challenging times. Our news organization continues to be at the forefront of news gathering to provide information and public service to our audience. Our entertainment and sports divisions continue to produce content that uplifts our audience, keeping them entertained and giving them a sense of hope,” he said.
For Luchi Cruz-Valdes, TV5 first vice-president and head of News & Information,Mr. Pangilinan’s support to them has “remained unflinching that not even the pandemic weakened it.”
She added, “MVP is the kind of leader that inspires loyalty. He could have just given up on us considering our size relative to the rest of his business empire, but he didn’t. On a personal level, I like how he keeps in touch with what people are thinking and saying while keeping his hands off editorial decision-making. No micromanaging there or elsewhere. He keeps his ear on the ground and when he can’t hear anything for himself, he calls and asks and engages. You can just tell that he is anticipating what can be done and gauging what he himself can do. And he acknowledges where he may have been under- or overestimated himself, and he adjusts.”
Hospitals are one of the most important establishments, especially now as COVID-19 continues to plague the world. Medical support and care for the people are a critical source of why the nation perseveres to function despite the global health crisis.
Being the largest private hospital operator in the Philippines, the Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings, Inc. (MPHHI) greatly contributes in aiding the country in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
MPHHI comprises 18 hospitals throughout the country and serves an average of 2.8 million patients every year. Among the group’s hospitals include Makati Medical Center, Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
“MPHHI conducts business efficiently and cost-effectively while staying mindful of the constant need to reshape and strengthen the country’s overall healthcare system,” said Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), an MPHHI shareholder, on its 2020 Sustainability Report.
Back in the first months of 2020, when the Philippines’ number of COVID-19 cases rapidly increased, MPHHI immediately responded to the public health emergency, the report stated.
The group promptly built up its COVID-19 bed capacities to take care of patients. And by the third quarter of 2020, the total allocation within the network reached 850 beds.
Furthermore, MPHHI opened multiple wards for patient isolation. It also deployed additional nurses and provided medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the medical workers’ health and safety.
The Department of Health (DoH) accreditation was also secured by the group for most of its hospitals to serve as COVID-19 testing facilities.
MPHHI managed to help the state-owned East Avenue Medical Center as well. It expanded the government hospital’s COVID-19 capacity through its provision of P35 million worth of medical equipment.
“All these initiatives were undertaken to align with the Philippine government’s efforts to fight the pandemic,” said MPIC.
By far, the 2020 MPIC report stated that MPHHI hospitals have tested 170,000 individuals for COVID-19. Overall, MPHHI has served 2,608,244 patients in 2020, the report stated.
When the COVID-19 vaccinations began, MPHHI supported the Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat campaign, a private sector-led initiative collaborating with the government, which encourages Filipinos to get inoculated.
“We are genuine and steadfast partners with the national and local governments to help ensure the extensive and efficient rollout of the [COVID-19] vaccines,” MPHHI Chairman Manuel V Pangilinan said through a recorded video during the virtual campaign launch in May.
“Our Ingat Angat commitment of seven vaccination teams performing 21,000 jabs over 30 operating days in two of our largest National Capital Region sites [Makati Medical Center and Asian Hospital and Medical Center] forms an integral part of our nationwide total vaccination capability,” Dr. Jeffrey Staples, group chief operating officer of MPHHI, said in the event.
At the campaign launch, Dr. Staples shared that 87% of MPHHI hospital have received their COVID-19 vaccinations, “ensuring that our hospitals are safe for our staff, our patients, and our families.”
MPHHI further supported vaccination-related initiatives by providing guidance and expertise for software solutions company Multisys Technologies Corp. in developing Safify, a platform to oversee digital health matters.
Recently launched this month, Safify is a digital tool that lets employers manage the vaccination program in the workplace. This includes supply chain, inventory, and vaccine administration.
“We, at MPHHI, recognize the importance of digital tools to speed up the delivery of vaccination services crucial to our country’s return to normalcy, which is why we have closely collaborated with MultiSys to co-develop an excellent vaccination platform, Safify,” said Augusto Palisoc Jr., president and chief executive officer of MPHHI.
While devoting such efforts to address the COVID-19 problem in the Philippines, MPHHI was still able to seek innovative solutions to continue its services for the patients while maintaining a safe amount of hospital foot traffic.
Last year, the group started to introduce virtual consultation, e-pharmacy, mobile laboratories, and remote patient monitoring.
“MPHHI believes that using telemedicine and remote patient monitoring for management of chronic diseases can minimize, though not totally prevent, physical visits of patients to healthcare facilities,” said Eriene C. Lao, chief information officer at MPHHI, in a statement last year.
“Telemedicine may be our new normal,” she added. “It augments the delivery of primary health care most especially in our country, where the doctor-to-patient ratio is a challenge.”
MPHHI, three months into the pandemic, began looking at modern information and communication technologies to connect medical professionals with patients in a virtual way.
Some of the group’s hospitals already utilized telemedicine solutions to have virtual consultations, shared Ms. Lao, also noting that these solutions were mainly developed in-house.
Nonetheless, face-to-face consultations between doctors and patients remain to be important. MPHHI, therefore, strongly advised following safety protocols.
In any case, MPCI stated on its website that all of the MPHHI hospitals are re-structuring their facilities for appropriate isolation of COVID-19 patients from non-COVID patients. This is to ensure that the group’s hospitals can continue to safely care for both.
More than serving consumers, road and property development have their particular share in contributing to socioeconomic development. Part of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., tollway developer and operator Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) and upscale real estate developer Landco Pacific Corp. (Landco) continue in their services in spite of the disruptions caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Expanding beyond North Luzon — where its flagship North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) connects Metro Manila to the northern provinces — MPTC sets its sights on provinces in South Luzon and in the Visayas, and even within the Southeast Asian region.
At the 45-km Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAX), which stretches from CAVITEx in Kawit, Cavite to South Luzon Expressway Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan City, Laguna, the 10.7-km Laguna side of the project from Mamplasan Interchange to Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Interchange is fully open to motorists. Also, two key interchanges of the expressway located near Laguna Technopark were opened August last year.
The first side of the Cavite side of the expressway, the Silang East Section, is 93% complete, according to MPTC unit MPCALA Holdings, Inc.
Meanwhile, the 8.25-km Cebu Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), which will link directly connect Cebu City to the municipality of Cordova across the Mactan channel and provide an alternate congestion-free route to the Mactan Cebu International Airport, is targeted for completion this year.
In addition to this, the MPTC unit behind this expressway, the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corporation, together with Metro Pacific Investments Foundation and the local government of Cordova, Cebu opened the Mangrove Propagation and Information Center, designed to serve as the center for the propagation of mangrove trees in the town’s coastal areas.
Another ongoing project is the NLEx Connector Road, an eight-kilometer toll road linking the tail of NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 at C3 Road in Caloocan City to Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila. It is targeted for completion in 2022.
As of January, MPTC’s NLEX Corporation (formerly Manila North Tollways Corporation) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are working on the first five-kilometer section of NLEX Connector from Caloocan Interchange, C3 to España, Manila. It is expected to be finished by the end of 2021.
In addition, NLEX Corp. announced last February that the 8.2-km expansion of the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) was officially opened. The project increases expressway capacity to a double carriageway with lanes in each direction from the single two-way carriageway. Construction included two new bridges and a tunnel.
Nevertheless, amid the national and global battle against COVID-19, MPTC has done its share in helping curb the spread of the disease.
April last year, a month after COVID-19 started spreading in the country, MPTC donated 350 beds to boost the capacity of the quarantine facility at the Philippine International Convention Center. This is in support of DPWH’s “Heal As One” project.
The company also reported that it distributed tens of thousands of food packs and rice through local governments in communities along their highways in North and South Luzon, Cebu, and even in Indonesia.
Moreover, employees of MPTC personally pitched in to raise over a million pesos in donation to purchase personal protective equipment sets for frontliners.
Bouncing back sustainably
As the pandemic largely impacted real estate and tourism, Landco quickly adapted to the situation by refocusing its budget and efforts to what is currently essential.
Erickson Y. Manzano, president and CEO of Landco, told BusinessWorld that the pandemic gave them the respite they need to “clean house”.
“As construction and sales significantly slowed down at the onset of the community quarantine, we channeled our energies to our back office: Title Transfer, Customer Service, Finance, and IT,” Mr. Manzano shared. “We focused on getting in touch with our customers and update them on their titles, implement a more efficient enterprise-wide system to replace SAP, and streamline our operations.”
On the operations front, he continued, Landco got its resort and staycation certifications from the Department of Tourism, making its spaces ready for accommodation in the ‘now normal’.
Landco offered its Crusoe Cabins for those who wanted to work from the beach. This enabled Landco to keep its whole team employed throughout the pandemic, 90% of whom live in the community where Crusoe is located.
After the success of Crusoe Cabins, Millennial Resorts Corp. (MRC), a Landco affiliate, has recently launched Cocoons, unconventional hotel ‘rooms’ made out of repurposed drainage pipes, complete with modern amenities and conveniences.
“We have big plans for MRC and we believe that it will be one of the catalysts which will help jumpstart our local tourism industry,” Mr. Manzano said, adding that sustainability remains a large part of their operations.
“Manny Pangilinan (Landco’s chairman) is also very serious about sustainability. With his direction, Landco’s BeachTowns (Club Laiya and Casobe) are both LEED registered. MRC is on track to get an EDGE Certification, a Sustainability Certification from the International Finance Corp. (of the World Bank) by the end of 2021,” he added. — Adrian Paul B. Conoza
Despite the continuing rise in COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the corporate foundation of electric distributor Manila Electric Company (Meralco), has resumed its electrification of off-grid public schools to help teachers in far-flung communities implement blended learning.
The previous year was definitely a very tough year for any community and business mainly due to the various impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, coupled with the eruption of the Taal Volcano and Typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses.
As the country’s largest private electric distribution utility company, the Manila Electric Company, more known as Meralco, recognizes how challenging it has been to constantly deliver power to stakeholders amid a public health crisis.
Nevertheless, as Meralco Chairman Manuel V Pangilinan and President and Chief Executive Officer Ray C. Espinosa stated in the firm’s latest annual report, Meralco has become determined to “keeping the lights on” while it remains committed to delivering power to the center of the country’s commerce, industry, and government.
“Our message at that time: this situation calls for the light within each one of us to be a beacon of reliability and hope,” Messrs. Pangilinan and Espinosa stated in their message in Meralco’s 2020 Annual Report.
Aside from its efforts in empowering and protecting its employees as well as relieving the financial burdens of its customers, Meralco actively participated in helping the country fight against COVID-19 and address other issues that apparently were further stressed by the pandemic.
“We partnered with the government and other private institutions to scale up COVID-19 initiatives in the country and supported national efforts for public safety and well-being. And our people responded with a multitude of small acts of heroism, adding up to show Meralco’s heart for this country and the medical frontliners fighting the pandemic,” Messrs. Pangilinan and Espinosa noted.
Meralco’s initiatives with the government and the private sector in responding to COVID-19 include energizing more than 90 essential facilities, which include the 525-bed Solaire-PAGCOR Mega Quarantine Center at Bagong Nayong Pilipino in Paranaque City; the 300-bed Mega Quarantine Center at the Philippine Arena Complex in Bocaue, Bulacan; and the 112-bed temporary COVID-19 Health Facility at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Meralco also installed additional facilities to energize mortuary freezers of East Avenue Medical Center, Loyola Memorial Chapels & Crematorium and Arlington Memorial Chapels, both in Quezon City. The firm also energized the government’s partner in manufacturing ventilators for COVID-19 patients, Kinpo Electronics Philippines Inc., in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
Meralco also participated in conducting inspection, clearing, and testing of electric distribution facilities serving vital institutions, including temporary treatment centers such as the World Trade Center, Philippine International Convention Center, Quezon Institute, Philippine Sports Complex, and Rizal Memorial Coliseum, among others.
In partnership with South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation and San Miguel Corporation Global Power Foundation, Meralco sponsored the electricity bills of three mega quarantine centers in Metro Manila namely, the World Trade Center, Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Through its corporate social responsibility arm One Meralco Foundation (OMF), Meralco donated the distribution component of the electricity bills of three lodging facilities in Pasig City.
In addition, last June, Meralco started supplying energy to the Manila Mega Field Hospital at Rizal Park in Ermita, Manila.
The annual report also stressed that the firm refocused its advocacy programs to aid those who were most vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic, namely medical frontliners and marginalized members of society.
Among Meralco’s initiatives to these sectors include the donation of personal protective equipment to more than 6,000 medical frontliners; the dispatching of electric jeepneys to 76,364 frontliners through its eSakay initiative; the housing of 32 frontliners from The Medical City, Pasig in the Meralco Compound; and the distribution of 7,856 food packages to street dwellers and low-income families in 31 municipalities.
Meanwhile, in its continuing drive towards full electrification through the Meralco Electrification Program, the firm reported that 99.94% of households in its franchise area are energized as of last year.
In bringing power to off-grid communities, Meralco continued its electrification efforts in Cagbalete Island, Quezon with the construction of an additional 1.4 MWdc solar photovoltaic with 2 MWh battery storage microgrid system, enough to power the whole island once it comes online this year.
Through OMF, the report added, Meralco pursued the electrification of low-income communities in the franchise area, resulting in 6,999 low-income households in informal settlements and relocation sites getting connected to the grid last year.
With sustainability established at the core of its strategy and operations, Meralco also commits to expanding its green portfolio when it announced last May its plans to draw on renewable energy sources for 1,500 megawatts of its power needs in the next five years.
The firm also has its sustainable reforestation program, called “One for Trees”, which continues to provide sustainable livelihood to tree caretakers through agroforestry.
Albeit the program’s implementation being hampered by the quarantines last year, with the help of Meralco’s reforestation partner, GreenEarth Heritage Foundation, the beneficiary farmers were able to harvest the leaves of the moringa (malunggay) trees they planted in 2019 and sell them as powdered tea. — Adrian Paul B. Conoza
PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) turned over the P1M donation to the Philippine National Police (PNP) as part of its 13-year PSF-PNP educational program. Since 2008, the PSF has supported 639 college scholars. In photo (L-R) are PNP Chief Police General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther O. Santos, and Smart Communications Vice President for Subscriber Management Melvin Nubla.
It is not an understatement to say that the world has changed drastically in the last two years. The COVID-19 pandemic, more than being a threat to health and safety, also revealed massive inadequacies and vulnerabilities in the social systems all over the world.
As a silver lining, however, it has also revealed ways on how to move forward. Digital connectivity, for instance, has become a boon for governments, businesses, and even individuals seeking to navigate life during the pandemic, with both the public and private sectors of society practically undergoing digital transformation overnight.
PLDT, Inc., the country’s largest telecommunications, internet, and digital service providers, knows the importance of connectivity in the new normal and has committed to use its network and expertise to support the government’s COVID-19 response.
For instance, along with Smart Communications, Inc., PLDT has turned over Smart Bro pocket WiFi and PLDT prepaid home WiFi units for use of frontliners and volunteers at the Office of the Vice President’s drive-thru vaccination site in Harbor Square in Manila, following up on the previous roll out of Smart WiFi connectivity in isolation sites set-up by the Office in Malabon City.
Additionally, the Philippines’ first integrated health app, mWell, was launched in partnership with PLDT Home. As a service that provides digital services that enable families to do things better at home via broadband connectivity, PLDT Home is enabling connected families to get free online check-up and consultations with mWell doctors in the areas of primary care, pediatrics, internal medicine, ob-gyn, cardiology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and COVID-19.
The goal is for Filipinos to have an avenue for convenient bookings and safer consultations for health problems. Soon to be launched by Metro Pacific Health Tech Corporation (MPHTC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), mWell is an all-in-one app set to offer telehealth to Filipinos during this pandemic through online doctor consultations, health education, wellness programs, online pharmacy services, and more.
Simple and accessible in just a few clicks, mWell app users can not only do video consultation but also buy medicines, access personalized fitness and nutrition programs including COVID-19 assessment, pregnancy trackers, and buy wellness products at the shop by Adobomall with the use of PayMaya for fast, secure, and hassle-free transactions.
PLDT and Smart’s support to the country’s fight against the pandemic has also included the rollout of fiber-powered WiFi connectivity to government-run quarantine, swabbing, isolation and vaccination sites, as well as other COVID-19 facilities.
Since last year, PLDT and Smart have been providing connectivity and communications support to frontline agencies and their personnel in different parts of the country to help front liners and patients stay connected despite the challenges of the pandemic.
From the beginning, PLDT and Smart have played a critical part in keeping the public informed of government announcements and COVID-19-related news. To ensure that the public has access to right and up-to-date information, PLDT has provided free access to government and news websites for PLDT Home WiFi and PLDT Home Volume based plans, as well as supporting the Department of Health (DoH) and the 911 National Emergency Hotline of the Department of Interior and Local Government for the launch of a hotline for COVID-19 concerns.
The access numbers for the DoH COVID-19 emergency hotline are 02894-COVID or 02-894-26843, and, 1555. The hotline number 02894-COVID or 02-894-26843 is open to all callers nationwide. The hotline number 1555 is initially accessible only to PLDT, Smart, Sun, and TNT subscribers.
To aid in creating a more efficient communication system among government agencies, PLDT provided free WiFi Internet and landline calls in critical areas including command centers, transportation systems, and health centers in Batangas City, Lucena, Zamboanga, General Santos City, and Davao.
PLDT and Smart’s connectivity solutions have also been integral to keeping the education system running despite the health and safety precautions during the community quarantine.
Most recently, PLDT Enterprises has extended fiber connectivity and internet solutions to Piddig, Ilocos Norte to support online learning, providing digital services to all 23 barangays to improve municipal governance.
Another initiative is the mobile truck called “Vertext on Wheels”, the mobile internet truck deployed in the capital city of Ilocos Norte by PLDT and Smart, in partnership with their provincial distributor in Ilocos Norte Vertext Handyphones under their Learning Access Online (LAO) project.
LAO also provides entrepreneurial training for students for business opportunities as retailers of Smart Load, freelance agents for PLDT Home and installers for Cignal TV. Initially rolled out as a Vertext Handyphones barangay caravan throughout Ilocos Norte, Vertext on Wheels provided free Internet, free use of LTE gadgets, free document printing and discounted load offers to students, among others.
The PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) has also been busy supporting communities during the pandemic, as it recently turned over one million pesos in donations to the Philippine National Police (PNP) as part of its 13-year PSF-PNP educational program.
Over the years, PSF has been supporting the dependents of PNP uniformed personnel who were killed in actual performance of duty, complete disability, discharged, wounded or incapacitated in their line of duty, and those dependents who graduated with honors through the PSF-PNP Educational Assistance Program.
Aside from the donation, the PSF also turned over Smart LTE Pocket WiFi units for the scholars. Since 2008, the PSF has supported 639 college scholars.
“COVID-19 has set our agenda for the foreseeable future. At the outset, our task was clearly to keep people connected as the country went into lockdown. Moving forward, we will grow our business by helping our customers – and the country – rebuild their lives and livelihoods with powerful connectivity like fiber, 4G and now 5G, combined with innovative digital solutions,” said Manuel V Pangilinan, chairman of PLDT, Inc. — Bjorn Biel M. Beltran
The MVP Group of Companies begins its pilot vaccination of non-medical employees at the
Meralco compound. Present are MVP Group Chairman Manuel V Pangilinan with Pasig City
Administrator Atty. Jeron Manzanero, center. With them (L-R) PLDT and Smart Chief
Procurement Officer and Vaccine Task Force Procurement Lead Mary Rose Dela Paz, Meralco
President and CEO Atty. Ray Espinosa, Metro Pacific Hospitals Holdings, Inc. Chief Operating
Officer and Vaccine Task Force Co-Chair Dr. Jeff Staples, and PLDT and Smart Chief People
Officer and Vaccine Task Force Co-Chair Gina Ordoñez.
By Bjorn Biel M. Beltran, Special Features Writer
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been an ordeal that has left its mark on modern history, with the world still collectively reeling from its impact. Slowly but surely, however, the wounds from the crisis are mending and as governments all over the world strive to vaccinate enough people to reach herd immunity, more and more groups are stepping up to help their fellowmen.
Such a massive crisis could only be overcome with collaboration, especially among those with the most influence. The MVP Group of Companies, one of the biggest corporations in the Philippines, has been striving to do its part during the pandemic.
Embodying the spirit of bayanihan
The MVP Group has become a partner of the Department of Health (DoH) in its ‘BIDA Solusyon’ campaign, which encouraged all sectors to comply with science-backed behavioral changes in preventing the spread of COVID-19. BIDA stands for Bawal walang mask; I-sanitize ang mga kamay, iwas-hawak sa mga bagay; Dumistansya ng isang metro; Alamin ang totoong impormasyon. Aimed at empowering Filipinos in every sector, the campaign promoted a whole-of-nation, whole-of-government approach in rising above the pandemic.
The MVP Group contributed to the campaign through repurposing the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) into the Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), a dedicated COVID-19 facility.
The MVP Group is home to some of the country’s largest companies, including telecommunications giant PLDT, Inc.; Metro Pacific Investments Corp., whose businesses span energy, water services, toll roads, hospitals, railways and logistics; agribusiness leader Roxas Holdings, Inc.; and MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. which includes TV5, Cignal TV, The Philippine STAR, and BusinessWorld.
Manuel V Pangilinan, chairman of the MVP Group of Companies, also stated the vision behind his conglomerate’s participation in the campaign: “On behalf of all our companies and our foundations, I would like to pledge our support to promote the values of BIDA not just in our businesses, but in our daily lives as well. We are hoping that through our Group’s contribution, we could help the real BIDA who are central to our businesses — the Filipino people, the Filipino consumers.”
In addition, MVP Group pledged to help build consumer confidence through the widespread adoption of the campaign’s objectives and to release BIDA Solusyon information materials through their existing channels, including physical stores and business centers under the group such as PLDT-Smart stores nationwide, Meralco Bayad Centers, and the Light Rail Manila Corp.; tollroads in NLEx, CAVITEx, and CALAx which are equipped with contactless RFID payment in toll booths; and Maynilad which set up contactless hand wash stations with liquid soap to further promote handwashing.
This is not to mention the efforts of Tulong Kapatid, the corporate social responsibility alliance of foundations and companies under the MVP Group of Companies, which has extended aid to augment the government’s initiatives against the pandemic.
Last April, the group also announced that it is converting part of the First Pacific Leadership Academy in Antipolo, Rizal province into a COVID-19 quarantine facility for employees to aid in the decongestion of hospitals in Metro Manila.
“Our efforts to take care of our workforce aim to reduce overall community transmission, while protecting and providing breathing space to hospitals and medical front liners, who have been our anchor and support as we continue to battle this pandemic,” Mr. Pangilinan said in a statement.
One for all, all for one
The MVP Group knows that the first step towards enacting positive change is from within. This is why it also announced that it has procured 800,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for their personnel and household members of their employees, and have recently started rolling out vaccination.
Led by the MVP Group Vaccine Task Force, the first tranche of company-procured Moderna doses was administered to the Group’s first batch of employees at the Meralco compound in Pasig City.
The launch site is one of several facilities the Group has identified in administering all the vaccinations in National Capital Region (NCR) Plus. Among those to be activated by the second week of July are PLDT Sta. Ana in Manila, Smart Tower in Makati, Maynilad Balara in Quezon City, and NLEx Sta. Rita in Bulacan.
The pilot sites are manned mainly by frontliners from the MVP Group’s hospital arm Metro Pacific Hospitals Holdings, Inc. (MPHHI), and is expected to vaccinate an average of 700 up to 1,350 individuals per day.
The rollout will run until December, depending mainly on the arrival of Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines.
“Any talk about ending this pandemic begins with a fundamental imperative: the successful rollout of ethically procured, safe, and effective vaccines to a significant majority of our people,” Mr. Pangilinan said. “Our vaccinees, through the essential services we offer group wide — from hospitals, telecommunications and digital services, electricity, water, tollways and road infrastructure, media and more — have been and will continue to be the key source of stability as the Philippines emerges from this global crisis.”
For areas outside NCR Plus, the Vaccine Task Force will use a combination of MPHHI’s private health care network — the Philippines’ largest — as well as other MVP Group-wide facilities and selected malls across the country.
A light for those in need
The most devastating quality of the COVID-19 pandemic is its prejudice, as seen by the disparity in which it affects its victims. The World Bank has estimated that the pandemic could push about 49 million people into extreme poverty in 2020.
In its commitment to help Filipinos to find work or create their own businesses, the foundations of the MVP Group of Companies recently distributed 60 bicycles to disadvantaged residents of Quezon City as part of the Bike for Livelihood initiative.
Working in partnership with Gretchen Ho, who founded the Donate a Bike, Save a Job project in 2020, the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), One Meralco Foundation, Metro Pacific Investments Foundation and First Pacific Co. Ltd. aim to donate at least 500 bicycles this year.
The latest donation is in addition to over 300 bicycles that have been turned over to underprivileged recipients in Pasig, Manila, Caloocan, Batangas as well as contact tracers from the Philippine National Police.
To help them in their online business, residents from Quezon City also received 100 Smart phone retailer kits from First Pacific and 100 Pocket WiFi devices from Smart Communications. These digital tools will help small business owners connect to the market through online apps and platforms, the new normal for businesses.
During the launch of the Bike for Livelihood in June, Mr. Pangilinan, who initiated the project, said it could help support livelihood and transportation needs in the recipients’ respective jobs. “The best solution to poverty is livelihood. If you could provide [people] with a means of making themselves a livelihood, whether by delivering food or medicine or water, I think that’s something we should support,” he said.
“I do hope they would use it for their families, so they can uplift their way of living. At the end of day, that’s what we’re all here for. Social orientation is embedded in our Group’s DNA,” he added.
MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. Chairman Mr. Pangilinan delivers a keynote speech during the BusinessWorld Economic Forum in 2019.
By Adrian Paul B. Conoza, Special Features Assistant Editor
A remarkable leader who really worked his way up the ranks. A businessman notable for handling numerous roles across some of the Philippines’ leading companies. A sports advocate who actively supports many of the country’s athletes.
These are some of the ways to recognize Manuel V Pangilinan, or simply MVP, who celebrates his 75th birthday today.
Born on July 14, 1946 to a bank messenger and a housewife, Mr. Pangilinan had humble beginnings, and with sheer determination, he was able to elevate himself one step at a time into one of today’s successful corporate magnates.
Mr. Pangilinan is a scholar throughout his studying years, starting with elementary and high school at San Beda College, and then college at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.
“In college, my weekly allowance at the Ateneo was P10, and that included my jeepney fares. I have a lot of classmates who have cars and others even have their own drivers. They were lucky. Someday, I said to myself, I will reach all those,” he recalled in a commencement speech in ADMU in 2006. “My scholarships in both San Beda and Ateneo were only my lucky charms.”
In 1968, Mr. Pangilinan received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, with the help of a scholarship provided by Procter & Gamble.
Upon graduation and without any experience, MVP started his career as an executive assistant to the president at Philippine Investment Management Consultants, Inc. (PHINMA) for six years. His career then continued overseas with Bancom International Limited, a Philippine investment bank based in Hong Kong.
Amid a setback in a planned joint venture, Mr. Pangilinan worked for American Express Bank for four years, seeing an opportunity to prove what a Filipino can do in the said company.
Then, in 1981, he moved from professional management to entrepreneurship when he founded investment management and holding company First Pacific Co. Ltd.
As Wharton Magazine detailed, Mr. Pangilinan started the company with the help of four Indonesian families, including the Salim Group, and public funds. The initial plan hatched between him and Anthony Salim, the son of Salim Group’s founder Liem Sioe Liong, was for First Pacific to be “intermediaries of capital, sort of a financial supermarket where one could buy securities or get a loan or whatever”, as well as “an intermediary of goods”.
At present, First Pacific has principal businesses related to consumer food products, telecommunications, infrastructure, and natural resources. In the Philippines, these include Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), Global Business Power Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., Maynilad Water Services, Inc., Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), Philex Mining Corp., PXP Energy Corp., Roxas Holdings,Inc., PLDT, Inc., and Smart Communications, Inc., among others.
Mr. Pangilinan served as managing director of First Pacific from 1981 to 1999. He was appointed executive chairman until June 2003, after which he was named managing director and chief executive officer.
In addition to being an entrepreneur, Mr. Pangilinan also considers himself a “corporate activist” when he and First Pacific “faced the massive task of repair and renewal” of PLDT.
“Critics told us that we couldn’t change the culture of monopoly, that misdemeanors in PLDT couldn’t be eradicated, that our fixed line business had no future. But we made tough and unpopular decisions at PLDT,” he said, citing encouraging honesty and transparency and converting the mindset of bureaucrats to that of innovators and entrepreneurs as some of the changes made.
Mr. Pangilinan is the chairman of PLDT, Smart, ePLDT, Inc., PLDT Communications and Energy Ventures, Inc., MPIC, Meralco, Global Business Power, Maynilad, MPTC, NLEX Corporation, Philex Mining, PXP Energy, Landco Pacific Corp., Medical Doctors, Inc. (Makati Medical Center), Davao Doctors, Inc., Colinas Verdes Corporation (Cardinal Santos Medical Center), MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., and TV5 Network, Inc. He is also the vice chairman of Roxas Holdings.
Photo shows Manuel V Pangilinan as he receives the 2015 Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. Award for Nation Building for his outstanding contributions to nation building and exemplary corporate citizenship.
He also serves as the president commissioner of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, the largest food company in Indonesia.
In civic duties, Mr. Pangilinan sits as chairman of the Philippine Business for Social Progress, PLDT-Smart Foundation, Inc., and One Meralco Foundation, Inc.; co-chairman of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation; and a director of the Philippine Business for Education.
He is chairman of the board of trustees of San Beda College and co-chairperson of the board of trustees of Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute and the U.S.– Philippine Society.
He was formerly chairman of the board of trustees of ADMU and was a member of the board of overseers of the Wharton School.
Aside from being a top businessman, Mr. Pangilinan is a strong supporter of Philippine athletes and a champion of the country’s sporting programs.
He is currently the chairman of the MVP Sports Foundation, Inc., a privately-funded sports development foundation of the MVP Group of Companies focused on helping its chosen sports, namely badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, football, golf, taekwondo, rugby, and weightlifting.
MVP is also the chairman emeritus of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the national sports association for basketball in the county. He first served SBP as president from 2007 to 2016.
He also sits as chairman of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, the country’s governing body for amateur boxing.
MVP has gained several honors from esteemed organizations and publications. These include Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines Award for Finance in 1983, Presidential Pamana ng Pilipino Award by the Office of the President of the Philippines in 1996, Best CEO in the Philippines by Institutional Investor in 2004, CEO of the Year (Philippines) by Biz News Asia in 2004, People of the Year by People Asia Magazine in 2004, Distinguished World Class Businessman Award by the Association of Makati Industries, Inc. in 2005, Management Man of the Year by the Management Association of the Philippines in 2005, and Order of Lakandula (Rank of Komandante) by the Office of the President of the Philippines in 2006.
He was voted as Corporate Executive Officer of the Year (Philippines) and Best Executive (Philippines) at the 2007 and 2008 Best-Managed Companies and Corporate Governance Polls conducted by Asia Money.
Mr. Pangilinan also received the Best CEO award from Finance Asia Magazine in 2012 and the Executive of the Year Award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association in 2014.
In 2015, JCI Manila and the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) RVR Center for Corporate Responsibility conferred him the 2015 Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. Award for Nation Building for his outstanding contributions to nation building and exemplary corporate citizenship.
MVP was also awarded the First Honorary Doctorates Degree in Management by AIM in 2016; as well as Honorary Doctorates in Science by Far Eastern University in 2010, and in Humanities by Holy Angel University in 2008, Xavier University in 2007, and San Beda College in 2002.
In a commencement address delivered to the class of 2017 of Manila Tytana Colleges, Mr. Pangilinan said, “Success is about passion — passion to succeed, passion for excellence, passion to compete. There are many of you here who were born poor, but have succeeded in graduating today, some with honors. [Their] examples should lead us to believe that your passion can break the chains of poverty, that a spirit of purpose can propel your energy, that the power of ambition can enable you to achieve what you may now think is impossible.”
