CONGLOMERATES Ayala Group and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) are doing their share in helping small businesses and farmers sustain their livelihood amid the new coronavirus disease 2019.
In a statement over the weekend, SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said San Miguel Foods Inc. (SMFI) is ramping up the sourcing of agriculture products from farmers to help further offset the impact of COVID-19 and ensure food security.
SMFI has to date purchased 69 million kilos of corn.
Ang said payment for purchases are released promptly so that farmers can have a steady source of income.
Very recently, the company purchased 92,000 kilos of corn from farmer-cooperatives in Central Luzon and Pangasinan as identified by the Department of Agriculture.
Ang said the company is expecting 50,000 kilos of corn from Camarines Sur. Another 100,000 kilos will come from the Maymatan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Camarines Sur, during the period of May 26 to June 15.
Apart from corn, SMC has also called on farmers of rice, cassava, coconut oil, and other farm products to come forward through the assistance of the DA.
Earlier, SMC’s agreement with the DA had allowed it to purchase four million kilos of surplus corn that is enough to produce feeds for over 7 million live broilers, that can eventually feed 4 million families in one day.
Also identified as possible sources of corn is the province of Cagayan, where there are 25,000 hectares of corn farms, and cooperative heads in Tuguegarao for cassava.
The Ayala Group meanwhile 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 Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala in 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, the Ayala group has helped ease the strain on its SME partners through P766 million worth of free services and business operations fees. The latter includes, among others, rental condonations. Ayala Malls alone has waived P280 million 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.
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.
