BIG business continues its humanitarian efforts in mitigating the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF), the corporate social responsibility arm of the Gokongwei Group of Companies, said it is setting aside P100 million for COVID-19 relief, over and above the ongoing initiatives of the Group, and will be used to support national and local frontline health providers and the local communities where the conglomerate operates.
GBF will provide urgently needed personal protective equipment such as surgical masks for health care front liners as well as rapid test kits for the U.P. Medical Foundation Inc. and PGH Medical Foundation Inc.
Food manufacturing arm Universal Robina Corp. has donated its food products to health workers in different hospitals while
Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) is providing support for the purchase of test kits for various hospitals in Metro Manila.
RLC will also be waiving rental charges for all non-operational tenants of its malls that are closed while Robinsons Bank is providing loan payment extension to its customers.
Ayala group. GBF’s move follows the announcement of the Ayala Group of Companies of a P2.4-billion support package to its partner entities
In a message, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Ayala chairman and president, respectively, announced Tuesday the fund covers wages, bonuses, leave conversions and loan deferments primarily for the extended workforce of its partner employers
These include P600 million in salary continuance for displaced workers from construction sites, shuttered malls and retail spaces of Makati Development Corp .and the Ayala Malls group.
Globe Telecoms has earmarked P270 million for its retail store support staff and vendor partners while all other Ayala companies will reserve another P130 million in personnel-related financial support.
Ayala Malls will be providing a rent-free period for malls that are not allowed to operate during the community quarantine from March 16 to April 14.
For its own employees, Ayala will continue to provide salary continuance and financial support as most of these employees will be getting their mid-year bonuses normally paid in April starting today through the end of March.
Ayala has also postponed or delayed employee loan payments due to the Ayala Multi-Purpose Cooperative and has introduced special financial assistance programs at subsidized rates.
Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI), the holding firm of tycoon Dr. Andrew L. Tan, is donating one million liters of 70 percent disinfectant ethyl alcohol to help strengthen government’s efforts in fighting the spread of COVID-19.
Around 850,000 liters of 96-percent ethyl alcohol will be denatured in order to convert them into sanitizing and disinfectant alcohol, which can be used by hospitals, clinics, and government agencies including the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as marshalls from various local government units.
SM Supermalls will waive rentals to all tenants nationwide from March 16 to April 14, 2020 as relief.
This support is in addition to its recent announcement that it has allocated P100M to provide protective equipment and supplies towards hospitals for the safety of medical front liners, as they actively fight the spread of COVID-19.
GT Capital. The Ty family, owners of Metrobank and its mother firm GT Capital Holdings Group, said a P200-million fund will go towards “initiatives that directly support the fight against the virus.”
These initiatives will be managed by the respective Foundations of the Group and will start with efforts to produce the test kits developed by the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health and the purchase of personal protective equipment for frontline health workers.
San Miguel Corp., meanwhile said it delivers food donations to local government units throughout Metro Manila, to help support communities and front-liners in the fight against the Covid-19 virus.
The food donation consists mostly of assorted San Miguel food products, including canned food, biscuits, spreads, dairy milk drinks, coffee, and water.
Among those that will receive donations: Caloocan, Las Pinas, Malabon, Pateros, Mandaluyong, Navotas, Marikina, Paranaque, Makati, Pasay, Muntinlupa, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, Valenzuela.
The company also started delivering food donations to several hospitals, including the Philippine General Hospital, Medical City, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Las Pinas General Hospital, and the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center.
San Miguel said it is working to produce 70 percent ethyl alcohol at one of its manufacturing facilities, to address the shortage of hand sanitizers and disinfectants due to high demand.
Ang said they are looking to supply the alcohol to hospitals and LGUS for free. The company is just awaiting final clearance from government to distribute the alcohol.
Ang said San Miguel is also donating 13,000 units of its own Protect Plus Gold powdered disinfectant, which can be used to clean and sanitize hospitals and government and public facilities.
