Top Executives From Ayala Group And Subsidiaries Build Homes For Informal Settlers With HFH Philippines
Ayala Funding 175 Homes In And Sending Volunteers To Resettlement Site In Calauan, Laguna
MANILA, 12th May 2010: Nearly 100 executives from Philippine conglomerate Ayala Group of Companies and its subsidiaries recently worked with Habitat for Humanity Philippines on a resettlement project in Calauan, southwest of Metro Manila.
Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu (left) and his team putting together a steel frame.
Fernando Zobel de Ayala (left) and his wife Kit (right) contributed labor.
(From left) Fernando and Zit Zobel de Ayala, Ayala strategic human resources head John Philip Oibeta, Bank of the Philippine Islands president Aurelio Montinola III, LiveIt CEO Fred Ayala, Globe president Ernest Cu, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Foundation executive vice-president Guillermo Luz, Ayala Automotive chairman Rufino Luis Manotok and Manila Water president Rene Almendras.
Led by Ayala president and chief operating officer Fernando Zobel de Ayala and chairman and his brother, chief executive officer Jaime Augusto, the volunteers produced concrete interlocking blocks, laid them, sieved sand, placed rivets on and assembled steel frames for the houses. Volunteers came from Ayala Corporation, Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Telecom, Manila Water Company, Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc., Ayala Automotive Holdings Corporation, LiveIt Investments, and Ayala Foundation.
The volunteers were working on the Bayanijuan sa Calauan project in Laguna municipality for informal riverbank settlers. Co-managed by ABS-CBN Foundation and the National Housing Authority, the resettlement housing project is part of a seven-year project – Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig – to clean up the Pasig River. The river rehabilitation project involves various groups ranging from non-governmental organizations such as HFH Philippines to the national government to the private sector.
Earlier this year, Ayala pledged to help rehabilitate Pasig River in Metro Manila through providing wastewater treatment and housing. Ayala committed to support the construction of 175 homes on a second site measuring 12 hectares in Calauan with funds as well as volunteer labor from at least 1,200 staff from May till August.
When completed, the Calaun site will be home to 1,000 families, some of whom are supported by other organizations such as San Miguel Corp, Children’s Hour and Unilab. Families will also enjoy amenities such as a day care center, clinic and access to water and sanitation facilities.
In late March, Ayala’s subsidiary Globe Telecom organized its second annual Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home race in aid of HFH Philippines’ Calauan project. The Manila race attracted more than 8,000 runners. Fernando Zobel, former Habitat for Humanity International board member, ran 21km.
Ayala and five other companies, including Globe, have each pledged five million pesos (about US110,120) for a total of 30 million pesos for the development of a second site in Calauan.