Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response
Back to our Impact Protect the Goose:

Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

Aboitiz Group
Aboitiz Group Facing COVID-19 Head-on

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
Economic and Governance
  • Maintaining a strong balance sheet that is resilient to financial implications of COVID-19, without undermining distributed economic contributions to society
  • Governance in risk management and planning
view more
Social
  • Ensuring a healthy and safe work environment
  • Availability and familiarity with digital tools for work-from-home setup
  • Team member engagement
  • Delivery of social programs through CSR for COVID-19 response
view more
Environment
  • Opportunity to reduce fuel, energy, and water consumption in business operations
  • Despite the pandemic, the underlying climate emergency remains eminent. Businesses must still continue its environmental management efforts.
view more

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.

Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

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’s COVID-19 Response

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
Industry

Education

view more
COVID-19 Funds: Aboitiz Foundation Initiatives
  • Allocated for continuing programs under Aboitiz Foundation program pillars
view more
Environment: Direct Business Unit Initiatives

1,308,295.00

view more
Industry

Environment

view more
COVID-19 Funds: Aboitiz Foundation Initiatives

192,826,236

view more
Environment: Direct Business Unit Initiatives

16,141,033.14

view more
Industry

Enterprise Development

view more
COVID-19 Funds: Aboitiz Foundation Initiatives
  • Allocated for continuing programs under Aboitiz Foundation program pillars
view more
Environment: Direct Business Unit Initiatives

700,000.00

view more
Industry

Special Projects/Others

view more
COVID-19 Funds: Aboitiz Foundation Initiatives
  • Allocated for continuing programs under Aboitiz Foundation program pillars
view more
Environment: Direct Business Unit Initiatives

8,155,894.50

view more
Industry

Total

view more
COVID-19 Funds: Aboitiz Foundation Initiatives

192,826,236

view more
Environment: Direct Business Unit Initiatives

26,305,223.00

view more
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response
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.

0 PHP AEVAboitiz Group Consolidated COVID-19 Funds Allocation
0 Beneficiaries Number of Direct and Group Beneficiaries
0 Projects Number of COVID-19 Related CSR Projects
0 Hours Total number of volunteer hours

Other COVID-19 related donations/efforts:

0 PHP Million Donations from KINDer
0 PHP Team Member Initiated Donations for Davao Frontliners
0 PHP Million Donations from Team Members for Subcontractors
0 PHP Million Donations from RAFI
0 PHP Million Offline Donations via Unionbank Transfers
0 PHP Million Aboitiz Group’s Financial Assistance for Team Members
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

Power

  • Uninterrupted delivery of power supply and service.
  • Safeguards and support for Mission Critical teams, as well as safety protocols with suppliers and business partners.
  • Continued project construction.
  • Payment concessions to customers.
  • PHP671 million worth of ER 1-94 funds made available to host beneficiaries.
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

Banking and Financial Services

  • Provided access to liquidity via ensuring availability of branches and ATMs.
  • Enhanced features in digital channels and introduced innovative offerings to proactively serve customers’ financial needs.
  • Extended payment due dates, waived online banking fees.
  • Continued to extend credit to mass market segments (e.g., teachers, motorcycle loan borrowers, and MSMEs).
  • Supported national government agencies (i.e. DSWD) and local government units in the disbursement of social amelioration funds to beneficiaries.
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

Food

  • Ensuring food group, both local and overseas, continue to operate while delivering a consistent supply of products for many of our small business partners who depend on us for their livelihood
  • Provided food and support to COVID-19 frontliners in Tarlac, Iligan, select hospitals, checkpoints, and other frontline groups
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

Infrastructure

  • 24/7 portable water availability and wastewater treatment to locators and establishments.
  • Provided rental concessions to our mall tenants through discounts and extended payments.
  • Implemented strict health and safety protocols across all developments.
  • Continued full operations of the industrial parks through a skeletal workforce.
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

Land

  • Waived rental for mall tenants.
  • Provided considerate payment extensions and waived penalties for tenants and residents.
  • Rolled out its Contactless Homebuying service which empowered sales partners through digital selling and allowed vecinos to conduct transactions safely.
  • Continued house construction under the strict implementation of safety protocols.
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

Corporate Social Responsibility

  • Donations to partner stakeholders and communities
  • Provided opportunities for employment for 1200 skilled workers
A Dose of Hope

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.

0 Private Companies
0 Local Government Units

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.
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response

Wave 1:

  • November 2020, 30 partners*, 2.6 million doses
  • Aboitiz was among the first 30 private companies to sign the deal during Wave 1.

Wave 2:

  • January 2021, more than 300 partners and 40 local government units, 17 million doses
Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 Response
Our impact

Next: Climate Strategy