At the onset of the pandemic in December 2019, the Aboitiz Group already started to assess its potential impacts and risks to our business. We have first thought of the welfare of our 40,000 team members located across 11 countries, who are truly the lifeblood of our organization. In February 2020, a COVID-19 Technical Working Group was formed to monitor how the pandemic is progressing and to cascade information on proper precautionary measures.
Just like the ‘goose that lays the golden egg’, the Aboitiz Group will seek to protect its most important assets: its team members, our plants, and our facilities across the country.
Sabin M. Aboitiz
Aboitiz Group, President and Chief Executive Officer
Economic and Governance |
Social |
Environment |
|---|---|---|
|
|
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COVID-19 Concerns for Business in terms of ESG
In March 2020, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public emergency following confirmed local cases and transmission of COVID-19. A lockdown in Metro Manila was imposed on March 15, forcing residents to undergo community quarantine.
Through a group-wide virtual conference, Aboitiz Group President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz announced that team members must render work from home. Our early investments in future-proofing Aboitiz have given us a huge advantage in seamlessly transitioning from a physical work set-up to a digital workforce and ensuring all the proper channels and support are in place. Communications, stakeholder management, product sales, financial services, and employee learning were all delivered through online platforms.
While we’ve put trust in the hands of the government to lead us in finding the proper solutions, it is also imperative for businesses to do their part in helping alleviate the situation.
To ensure the financial security of team members, salaries and bonuses were released early. A select number of essential team members continue to work in their respective areas to ensure delivery of highly-needed basic services, such as power, banking, and food. To ensure their safety, we provided ample protective resources and basic needs such as testing (rapid tests, RT-PCR), food, clothing, and temporary shelter. Accessible health services are also made available to all our facilities nationwide.
Our team is focused on understanding COVID-19’s possible ramifications to our businesses. Offhand, the majority of our industries are actually resilient and are not as vulnerable as other sectors. Making sure that we maintain a strong balance sheet, the group has prepared contingency plans and made sufficient adjustments to manage major disruptions. We have prepared scenario plans for our businesses and are working to provide accessible health services to all our facilities nationwide.
Our utmost concern now is the health and safety of our team members. We adopted travel, quarantine, and hygiene measures. All our team members, here and abroad, are constantly reminded of these measures and are given regular updates by our Covid-19 Technical Working Group.
With the group’s effort in digital transformation, the group made great strides to “Future-proof Aboitiz”. This includes equipping team members across the group with digital tools, bringing engagement virtually, and allowing us to adjust to the work-from-home set-up easily.
Sabin M. Aboitiz
Aboitiz Group, President and Chief Executive Officer
Aboitiz Group continues to work closely with various stakeholders demonstrating ethical leadership and good governance while creating an enabling environment to serve the interests of people and planet through strengthened cooperation.
Industry |
COVID-19 Funds: Aboitiz Foundation Initiatives |
Environment: Direct Business Unit Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
Education |
|
1,308,295.00 |
Environment |
192,826,236 |
16,141,033.14 |
Enterprise Development |
|
700,000.00 |
Special Projects/Others |
|
8,155,894.50 |
Total |
192,826,236 |
26,305,223.00 |
ABC in the time of COVID-19
Despite the pandemic, we continue to deliver our brand promise of advancing business and communities. Making sure that we maintain a strong balance sheet, our business units have implemented business continuity plans and financial assistance measures to ensure businessas-usual for our clients and customers who are coming to terms with the new normal.
219131458.64
AEVAboitiz Group Consolidated COVID-19 Funds Allocation
313258
Number of Direct and Group Beneficiaries
295
Number of COVID-19 Related CSR Projects
1187
Total number of volunteer hours
2.4
Donations from KINDer
655000
Team Member Initiated Donations for Davao Frontliners
1.3
Donations from Team Members for Subcontractors
265.2
Donations from RAFI
10.2
Offline Donations via Unionbank Transfers
900
Aboitiz Group’s Financial Assistance for Team Members
The Aboitiz Group, along with more than 300 private companies and 40 local government units committed to “A Dose of Hope”, a tripartite agreement among the private sector, the Philippine government, and British drugmaker AstraZeneca in support of the National Immunization Program. Half of the vaccines purchased will be donations for government frontline workers, while the other half will be for private-sector employees – both regular and contractual – provided they follow the government’s priority sectors for distribution.
Each Business Unit will work directly with their respective subcontractor partners on the details of the vaccine rollout.
Availing Aboitiz team members and subcontractors shall be vaccinated in batches, prioritizing frontliners, senior citizens, and those with comorbidities, then the rest of the population. In the ASEAN region and other countries, Aboitiz team member vaccinations will be driven by various country governments where Aboitiz operates (particularly the Food Group). A vaccinated workforce will allow the Aboitiz Group to lead and significantly contribute to keeping the economy thriving under a better normal.
300
40
Over the last hundred years, the Aboitiz Group has proven its resilience to rise above the challenges. It has survived near bankruptcy, world wars, economic crises, and movements between islands, among other challenges. For generations of Aboitiz team leaders and team members, past and present, what remained constant was our commitment to our time-honored values of integrity, teamwork, innovation, and responsibility. We always put our peopl first and ensure that we push for a balanced pursuit of financial gains and sustainability. Our rich history shows what we have achieved while using our values as our compass, and how these have enabled us to drive change for a better world by advancing business and communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, but we are certain that together as #OneAboitiz, we will emerge from this crisis better and stronger.
Through its commitment to A Dose of Hope, the Aboitiz Group will be able to cover the inoculation of all its team members and subcontractors. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines will be offered to more than 30,000 regular employees and subcontractors, to help build the community’s immunity against the virus.
November 2020, 30 partners*, 2.6 million doses
Aboitiz was among the first 30 private companies to sign the deal during Wave 1.
January 2021, more than 300 partners and 40 local government units, 17 million doses
