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SMA Appointed To APEC Business Advisory Council

Organizations can adopt COVID-19 approaches to continuously improving ESG practices and managing emerging risks to be able to adapt in this “new normal”.

COVID-19 Lessons We Can Adapt In Tackling Climate Change

COVID-19 Lessons We Can Adapt To Tackling Climate Change

#LetsStayConnected Boosts Aboitiz Team Member Engagement Amid COVID-19

Infrastructure

#NoProblemIsTuBig For Lima Water's Frontliners Amid Lockdown

Aboitiz Group Advisory to External Stakeholders regarding COVID-19

2019 Bankers’ Night

2019 Brigada Eskwela Cebu

Aboitiz Eyes

UnionBank encourages taxpayers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to bank
from home and pay their tax dues online as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
further extended the tax payment deadline to June 14, 2020, due to the extension
of the enhanced community quarantine last May 31, 2020.

Read also: UnionBank Encourages Paying Taxes Right At Home
[https://aboitizeyes.aboitiz.com/post/unionbank-encourages-paying-taxes-right-at-home]

Through an ePayments partnership with the BIR, UnionBank provides its individual
and SME clients a direct, free and easy way to pay their taxes online. In just a
few seconds and a few clicks, customers can pay their taxes online 24x7, without
any rerouting to different websites, completely free of charge.

UnionBank is the only privately owned bank to link directly with the BIR for its
ePayments facility. For large taxpayers, they are also an authorized agent Bank
for the BIR’s e-Filing and Payment System (eFPS).

In 2019, UnionBank collected more than 338 billion pesos in taxes, representing
16% of the total tax collections of the BIR for the year. This 2020, they have
remitted more than 117 billion pesos in taxes to date.

Launched in April 2019, the BIR ePayment facility is available via UnionBank
Online for retail customers and via UnionBank Business Banking Platform for
business owners.

The collaboration is in line with UnionBank’s digital transformation strategy
and aggressive push to onboard government transactions in a bid to provide
convenient and inclusive financial solutions for all Filipinos.

“Digitizing payments is at its tipping point. We are in line with the
government’s efforts to support SMEs in the Philippines,” said UnionBank SVP and
Transaction Banking Head Ramon Duarte, referring to the end goal of the bank’s
transformation which is to achieve greater financial inclusion. “We are
delighted to see the growth of transactions during this new normal and allowing
our SME clients to settle their tax obligations via our digital channels.”

The ePayment facility saves thousands of Filipino business owners, self-employed
professionals and freelancers from the hassle of falling in line in bank
branches to pay their taxes, especially during the current health crisis.

> We cannot stress the importance of public safety, we urge the public to pay
their taxes digitally.
Taxpayers who are UnionBank customers must log on to UnionBank Online or
UnionBank Business Banking Platform, select the Pay Bills feature, enter the
required details, then submit to finish the transaction.

Meanwhile, non-UnionBank customers can simply open an account electronically by
signing up on UnionBank Online for individual customers. While SMEs and
corporations with existing UnionBank accounts would have to enroll at
portal.unionbankph.com/enrollment.

Banking and Financial Services

UnionBank Extends Online Tax Payments

By Franz dela Fuente
[https://aboitiz.workplace.com/profile.php?id=100026684951792] 

Aboitiz Group President and Chief Executive Officer Sabin M. Aboitiz was
recently appointed as a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC),
joining two other previous appointees to represent the Philippines.

Aboitiz, together with Alsons Consolidated Chairman and President Tomas
Alcantara and Globe Capital Partners Chairwoman Joanne de Asis, are the country
members of ABAC.

The three appointees will represent a range of business sectors including small
and medium enterprises.

Aboitiz’s appointment letter was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte last May
15, 2020.

> It is an honor for me to be appointed as a member of the APEC Business Advisory
Council (ABAC), and represent the Philippines. The Aboitiz Group, through its
100% acquisition of Gold Coin Management Holdings, has significantly expanded
our regional footprint and strengthened our position as a key player in
Asia-Pacific. The Aboitiz Group’s participation in ABAC is consistent with our
brand promise to advance business and communities — uplifting livelihood,
exchanging products and services across the Asia-Pacific region.
- Sabin M. Aboitiz, President and CEO, Aboitiz Group
ABAC was created in 1995 by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders to
provide advice on the implementation of the Osaka Action Agenda. It currently
serves as the voice of the business sector, specifically providing information
on business-related issues or providing the business perspective on specific
areas of cooperation.

In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis, ABAC has drafted
recommendations that address its identified work programs on supporting micro,
small and medium enterprises, ensuring supply chain resilience, promoting
markets for goods and services, and strengthening digital connectivity.

ABAC believes that in adopting various fiscal policies, the government can
support the resumption of work and production, which would consequently ensure
the smooth functioning of the global supply chain.  It also recommended
strengthening broadband infrastructure, facilitating cross border data flows,
and the application of digitally-enabled technology to support pandemic response
and recovery.

ABAC also recommended the removal of export restrictions and bans on essential
goods, reduction of non-tariff barriers including the movement of essential
workers, and the development of a regional framework strategy on economic and
structural responses and future pandemic planning.

This year, ABAC adopted the theme “Integration, Innovation, and Inclusion” and
will focus on the following priorities: accelerating trade and investment
liberalization, strengthening APEC’s commitment to a rules-based multilateral
trading system, promoting trade and services competitiveness and facilitation;
digital transformation, inclusive economic growth, building resilient and
sustainable communities, and driving a seamless and comprehensively connected
Asia-Pacific.

Victor Silva

Those who working at Hedcor know about “the basics” of the company during
onboarding orientation — the nature of the business, its ABCs (how the company
is advancing business and communities in its own way), or how many hydropower
plants it currently operates.

But just like in every relationship, it is best to know not only the bigger
story, but also the interesting details that come with it.

In commemorating Hedcor's 42nd anniversary, let's try to get to know Hedcor a
little better through these interesting facts and trivia.

Hedcor was officially registered in the Securities and Exchange Commission on
May 11, 1978. By this time, Hedcor was already operating four National Power
Corporation-owned hydropower plants in Talomo, Davao City under the leadership
of Ernesto Aboitiz, Hedcor’s first president.

The first mini-hydropower plant that Hedcor built was the 500-kilowatt plant of 
Philex Mining Corporation in Benguet in 1988.



Did you know that the Lon-oy Hydro in Bakun has been rebuilt three times due to
typhoons Iliang in 1997, Feria in 2000, and Nina in 2008?


Did you know that the Ampohaw Hydro in Sablan is Hedcor's first automated plant,
having undergone automation in the year 1997?


Did you know that HedcorPulse, Hedcor's newsletter was officially launched in
1995? It was then called "Hydro Pulse". Twenty-five years on, HedcorPulse has
migrated online!

Did you know that official Hedcor website
[/p/27233604-32d4-4d3f-bdeb-6d8734015ca7/www.hedcor.com] was first launched in
2001?

Hedcor formerly stood for Hydro Electric Development Corporation. However,
through a de facto merger between Northern Mini Hydro Corporation and HEDCOR
with Benguet Hydro Corporation, the company was renamed to Hedcor, Inc. The
merger was also commemorated by a change in the logo.

Among Hedcor’s hydropower plants, FLS (Ferdinand L. Singit) Hydro has the
longest conveyance lines measuring around 3 kilometers.



The very first ISO certification Hedcor received was the Quality Management
System certification for Ampohaw Hydro in the year 2000. It is also the first
ISO-certified mini-hydropower plant in the country.

Power

Hedcor Facts and Figures Through 42 Years Of ABC



You have a choice in life.
You either believe that everything is a miracle or that nothing is a miracle.
He who does not believe in miracles is not a realist — because they happen!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Einstein attended some conferences in the numerous universities of the USA,
the recurring question that the students asked him was:

“Do you believe in God?”

And he always answered: “I believe in the God of Spinoza.”

Baruch Spinoza
[https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/baruch-de-spinoza-portrait-c-1665] 
was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Jewish origin who is considered one of the
great rationalists of his time, along with the French philosopher René
Descartes. Spinoza was born in Amsterdam in the 17th century of a businessman
father who was successful but not wealthy. To him, God would have said:

“Stop praying and giving yourselves blows on your chests, what I want you to do
is to go out into the world to enjoy your life. 

I want you to enjoy, you sing, have fun and enjoy everything I've done for you. 

Stop going to those gloomy, dark, and cold temples that you built yourself and
that you call my home.

My house is in the mountains, in the forests, the rivers, the lakes, the
beaches. That's where I live and express all my love for you.

Stop blaming me for your miserable life; I never told you that you were a
sinner.

Stop being so scared. I do not judge you, nor criticize you, nor ever is angry
with you, nothing bothers me, nor do I devise punishment. I am pure love.

Stop asking me for forgiveness, there's nothing to forgive.

If I made you...I filled you with passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings,
needs, inconsistencies...of free will. How can I blame you if you do or say
something out of that which I put in you? How can I punish you for being as you
are if I'm the one who made you?

Do you think I could create a place to burn all my children who misbehave, for
the rest of eternity?

What kind of God can do that?

Forget about any kind of commandments, any kind of laws; those are wiles to
manipulate you, to control you and only to create guilt in you. Respect your
peers and don't do to others what you don't want for you. The only thing I ask
is that you pay attention in your life, that your alert status is your guide.
This life is the only thing there is, here and now, and the only thing you need.

In his famous composition Ethics, the 17th century Dutch philosopher Baruch
Spinoza
[https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/baruch-de-spinoza-portrait-c-1665] 
(also called Benedict de Spinoza) wrote that God is the infinite, unique
substance of the universe and is present in everything that exists.I have made
you absolutely free, there are no prizes or punishments, there are no sins or
virtues, no one carries a marker, no one carries a record.

You are absolutely free to create in your life a heaven or hell. 

I couldn't tell you if there's anything acer this life, but I can give you a
tip. 

Live as if there wasn't. As if this was your only chance to enjoy, to love, to
exist.

So, if there is nothing, then you will have enjoyed the opportunity I gave you.
And if there is, be sure that I will not ask you if you behaved well or not, I
will ask you. Did you like it?... did you have fun?..What did you enjoy the
most? What did you learn?

Stop believing in me; to believe is to assume, guess, imagine. I don't want you
to believe in me, I want you to feel me when you kiss your beloved, when you
play with your little girl, when you love your dog, when you bathe in the sea.

Stop praising me. What kind of egotistical God do you think I am? I'm bored of
your praise, I'm fed up with thanks. Do you feel grateful? 

Prove it by taking care of yourself, your health, your relationships, the world
around you. Do you feel overwhelmed? Express your joy! That's the way to praise
me.

The only thing sure is that you are here, that you are alive, that this world is
full of wonders. What do you need more miracles for?

Why so many explanations? Don't look for me outside, you won't find me. Find me
inside...there I'm beating in you.”

Baruch Spinoza

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes By EMA: Einstein On God

To enable micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by global
pandemic get back on their feet, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated -
Microfinance (RAFI-MFI) enlisted the help of mothers for its COVID-19 response
effort in the Visayas.

“Nanay” Rafaela Ducay at her Taboan Public Market stall in Cebu City. Thanks to
RAFI, she was able to earn while assisting the Aboitiz Group’s COVID-19 response
effort in the Visayas.The RAFI-MFI ‘Nanays’ have already earned a combined
PHP8.9 million from selling vegetables, dried fish (buwad), and monggo for
RAFI’s relief packages and for sewing hazmat suits and sleeping mats (banig).

Meanwhile, those ‘Nanays’ with dried fish and vegetable distribution businesses
shared their goods for inclusion in the 53,000 food relief packages distributed
by the foundation to local government units (LGUs) in Cebu and Bohol.

Rafaela Ducay, who works at the Taboan Public Market in Cebu City, has 20 fellow
mothers in her employ who packed the buwad for RAFI's relief packs. Because 
buwad has long been a staple food in Cebu and throughout the Philippines, it is
a viable source of livelihood for several local entrepreneurs.

> Dako kaayo ug tabang na ni-order si RAFI namo. Nagpasalamat ko kay kung wala si
RAFI, wala sad gyud mi karun sa panahon ug kalisod. Agwanta lang sa ta gamay,
kay naa man gyud panahon na di ta katug-an na mahitabo. Importante healthy ta ug
makatabang sad pud ta sa uban [It's been a great help that RAFI ordered [goods]
from us. I am thankful because if it wasn’t for RAFI, we won't have anything at
this time of crisis. The situation came unexpectedly, but we just need to hang
on. What's important is we're healthy and are able to help others.]

– Rafaela Ducay, MSME
RAFI-MFI ‘Nanay’ seamstresses have produced approximately 4,000 PPEs, which have
already distributed to hospitals and other organizations.

> In this time of crisis, the Aboitiz Group all the more believes in empowering
affected Filipinos by offering a sustainable economic lifeline. We hope that our
efforts will make a difference in helping families get back up on their feet and
continue thriving in these challenging times. 

– Sabin M. Aboitiz, President & CEO, Aboitiz Group
The banigs they made were distributed to street dwellers and over 442 stranded
passengers (mostly returning Negros Oriental residents) in the port town of
Samboan, Cebu.

> Thank you, RAFI, for supporting the stranded passengers of Negros Oriental and
Occidental in Samboan. The municipality is forever grateful for your generosity
in providing relief goods, sanitation kits, bread, banigs, and medicine. You are
truly a hero of philanthropy in these trying times. Thank you so much for being
our champion of CSR. 

– Vicky Calderon, Samboan, Cebu LGU
In addition to the PHP195 million allotted for relief operations, a total of
PHP40.5 million goes to interventions focused on COVID-19 prevention, screening,
and treatment. This brings RAFI’s total response efforts to over PHP235.5
million.

RAFI continues to work in partnership with the Department of Health and the
Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Visayas for the Bayanihan COVID-19
Centers in Cebu. There are also partnerships with LGUs and various barangays to
help prepare isolation areas for the COVID-19 patients; prevention initiatives
including the provision of PPEs; the #HUNAW handwashing campaign; the Komunidad
Kontra COVID communication campaign; and partnerships for provision of various
medical supplies to DOH for its COVID-19 massive rapid testing in various LGUs.

RAFI

RAFI's ‘Nanays’ Take Part In Supporting MSMEs Through Pandemic

Many hundreds of years ago, a very smart man realized that the greatest obstacle
man had to contend with was his emotional nature. He reasoned this way. I bring
his thoughts to you with some editorialization but, again, these are his and not
my own. I will leave it to you to decide what you agree with and what you do
not.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More often than not, man’s emotional nature masters his rational nature and
leads him astray. When emotions are unrestrained and undirected by knowledge and
intelligence, they violently attach themselves to anything that chances to
excite them. Their stark immediacy vitiates man’s judgment. He is unable, while
under their sway, to select and follow the course that is best because his mind
is engulfed by the evanescent present. In his hectic desire to gain the passing
pleasure, man loses his ultimate good.

The very elements in man’s nature, which cause him to fall are the means by
which he can make himself rise. He can pit one emotion against another and the
stronger will not merely win but win over the weaker. The most spiritual forms
of human love have the same emotional foundations as the most bestial forms of
human lust.

To learn how to become the master of one’s emotions, to learn how to free
oneself from their bondage is, therefore, the primary condition of sustained and
rational happiness. The key to virtue is knowledge of oneself. Only when we have
our emotions under control are we able to consistently direct our activity
towards a definite, rational goal. Our activity then follows our own nature, and
not from the nature of external things, which arouse our emotions and determine
their strengths.

The dominant ethics of Western civilization have made a special point of
disregarding the ultimate connection that exists between human nature and
rational conduct. Morality has been identified, not with living a life according
to rational plan and adequate conception of an ideal form of human existence,
but with the strained attempt to live in accordance with the inherited system of
coercive social habits.

Marriage, for example, is sanctified not by the ceremonial law of a priest or a
city clerk but rather by the divine and natural law of love, yet we are coerced
into thinking it is the former that should keep a marriage together so when it
falls apart it does so with considerable collateral damage to children, egos,
and families. Free love is love that is free from priests and city clerks and
can be the only rational and logical bases for any marriage like trust and
clarity are for any relationship.

The virtue of the mind is there not to despise and reject but to understand and
transform. How often do we see the former in action and controlling so much
behavior because some moron or another gets offended by some very small thing?

The most efficient way to preserve one’s being is not by competitive but rather 
cooperative activity based on reason and not emotion. Helping each other because
it is to our own long-term selfish interest is more reliable and more powerful
than when it is because we claim to love the individual. How many individuals
have claimed love and ended up hating? Every marriage starts with a forever
dream and promise of “in sickness and in health, for better or for worse”. Then
half of them end up in some form of divorce or separation, most unpleasantly,
and the other half stay together for practical reasons like costs or family or
reputation while they are enjoying and playing elsewhere. Does reason prevail
and drive happiness or does emotion prevail and drive unhappiness?

In my experience, winning organizations, especially in times of war, are those
that just do not allow the stupidities of emotions, biases, prejudices,
superstition, egos, and all these factors to enter their decision-making
process. You may allow them to express themselves in the discussion process as a
way of allowing release and venting but never in the decision-making process.
Decisions need to be made rationally. Period. Nice and cold.

There is a conflict between science and superstition. Mysteries, unknown and
unknowable powers, miracles, magical rites, and prayerful incantations are
instruments not of religion but of superstition, which has its origin in
ignorant and ignominious fear.

The freeman does not fear and he is not consumed by fear’s natural conceit.

If we are to win the gold and thrive through this present COVID-19 challenge —
and the many more to come in the Yrastorza 300-year history — it must be because
we embrace rational thinking and use intelligence and knowledge to weed out
superstition and emotion. This is particularly difficult in a culture that is
steeped deep in the superstition of religious institutions. We need to keep that
ignorance away from our business and leave it to the right of people to
independence without anarchy. One has every right to do as he wishes in his
personal life but does not have the right to bring emotion into the usage of the
money of a third party — the shareholder. Affecting the shareholder return
affects the benefits that the other stakeholders of the business, our community,
the government, etc. can gain from the success of our commercial activity.

Winning activities include the self-confidence to admit error and adapt versus
getting offended because we are made to look bad because of our own competence.
The competent never look bad.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes By EMA: Emotion And Reason, Winning And Losing

Josa Marie Salazar

With the challenge that COVID-19 brought in a global level, the poor are among
the most vulnerable. Food insecurity, limited access to markets, and the lack of
a steady source of income are existing socio-economic problems that aggravate
the threat to their well-being. Despite the Extended Community Quarantine (ECQ),
people scurry in the streets to ask for food and relief assistance.

A-People, having the propensity to help in their own way, moved to action. In
early April, Pilmico partners launched a donation drive to support Bread of
Salt, an initiative focused on feeding Metro Manila families who are in need
amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Iligan, the Food Group Philippines partners
initiated a fundraising activity Labor of Love that allocated a portion of their
bonuses for the benefit of medical frontliners, street sweepers, and garbage
collectors.

“As we collectively experience the difficulty and stress brought about by the
COVID-19 pandemic, Pilmico aims to assist its various stakeholders by bringing
comfort through food. Families today have many challenges to deal with brought
about by our need to stay at home, and we thought we would try to ease that as
best as we could. Through the food distribution coming from the local bakeshops,
we are able to bring food production and supply as close as possible to
consumers, meaning they don’t have to venture too far to get access to it.
Meanwhile, this also allows for the creation of additional revenue streams for
the small businesses in those communities,” said Tristan Aboitiz, Food Group
Philippines President & CEO. 

Through the KINDer by Aboitiz [https://kinder.aboitiz.com/] online crowdfunding
platform, Food Group Philippines partners launched a donation drive to support
and provide additional resources to the Bread of Salt initiative, a tripartite
partnership between donors, community organizations, and local bakeries and
targets urban poor families in Metro Manila and Bulacan.

With the team member-led initiative raising almost PHP150,000 in cash donations
from both internal and external partners, almost 180 bags of flour were
purchased and donated to local bakeries for the production of free pandesal. It
also increased the number of partner bakeries from 9 to 30 bakeries. In total,
free bread was served to around 2,500 families.

The Bread of Salt initiative, with the help of funds generated from employee-led
donation drive in KINDer [https://kinder.aboitiz.com/], provided additional
income for 30 bakeries and free food for 4,000 families in Metro Manila and
Bulacan.“Everyone in the Bread of Salt team is more than grateful for this
assistance. When we started this initiative, admittedly, it was hard because of
the logistic and funding challenges. But thanks to generous assistance from
organizations like Pilmico, we were able to serve more than 3,000 families and
counting,” said Rachel Morala, a representative from Bread of Salt. 

By tapping local bakeries to produce pandesal, Bread of Salt secures both
continuous income for local bakeries by allowing them to stay afloat while
efficiently providing food assistance to those in need during the ECQ. 

Meanwhile, Labor of Love raised more than PHP76,000 from donations made by
Pilmico’s team members in Iligan. The project provided rice assistance to the
frontliners of Gregorio Lluch Memorial hospital in Iligan, and reusable face
masks for Iligan City’s street sweepers and garbage collectors. The donations
provisioned for more than 80 15-kilogram sacks of rice and PHP14,000 worth of
reusable face masks ordered from Pilmico’s cooperative partner sewers in Cebu.

Pilmico’s Iligan team pooled their own money to buy rice assistance for medical
frontliners and reusable face masks for the street sweepers and garbage
collectors of Iligan City.Through the employee-initiated Labor of Love activity,
83 bags of rice and PhP14,000-worth of reusable face masks were distributed by
Iligan team members.Aside from assisting Bread of Salt and the Labor of Love
initiative led by its team members, Food Group Philippines conducts bread and
medical supplies distribution in key areas all over the country. The food
donation aims to bring comfort through food, especially to the country’s
critical sectors such as hospitals, military checkpoints, and families in need.
Because Pilmico acquires its bread donations from partner bakeries, local bakers
are also empowered with a continued source of income during the COVID-19 crisis.
To date, Pilmico has distributed close to 570,000 bread, PHP4.1 million worth of
food, and close to PhP1.5 million worth of PPEs, medical supplies, and
sanitation kits. These were made possible by the consolidated efforts of
Pilmico, Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. and the partnership with the Philippine
Association of Flour Millers, Inc. (PAFMIL). 


Interested to help the Bread of Salt initiative? You may contact Ms. Rachel
Morala at rach.morala@gmail.com.

Food

Pilmico Partners Mount COVID-19 Donation Drive For Families And Frontliners

Francesca De Ocampo

Governments around the world have enforced lockdowns in a bid to curb the spread
of COVID-19. With people “shut in” and no longer allowed to travel whether land
or air, a significant decrease in carbon emissions is being reported across the
planet. Locally, a study conducted by the University of the Philippines Diliman
[https://www.up.edu.ph/air-quality-after-ecq-far-from-new-normal-expectations-upd-experts/?fbclid=IwAR3Aat6HoiIFZ_wQtzPibxH0uCrNv6DaSWXv3jHCbSyccd0rd64-f-JxBVs] 
reports a decrease of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Metro Manila cities since the
implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). Nitrogen dioxide is a
greenhouse gas that comes  from  burning fuel, i.e., emissions from cars, trucks
and buses, power plants, and off-road equipment.

Read also: COVID-19 Situation Gives Rise To A New Kind Of #OneAboitiz
[https://aboitizeyes.aboitiz.com/post/covid-19-situation-gives-rise-to-a-new-kind-of-oneaboitiz]

Experts from the College of Science and College of Engineering of the University
of the Philippines Diliman have been monitoring air quality weekly since the
implementation of the ECQ in NCR. (Photo by University of the Philippines
Diliman)Seeing it this way might lead us to ask, “Is the COVID-19 pandemic
healing the Earth?” The question is largely debatable, but scientific
organizations such as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are being
conservative, opting to say that whatever positive effects the pandemic has had
on carbon emissions are still marginal. 

Indeed, as the world’s attention is locked on the unprecedented health crisis,
there is no denying that climate change remains a looming concern. Linking the
two greatest challenges of the present time, Karolina Zubel from the Center for
Social and Economic Research, shares that the approaches towards the COVID-19
outbreak could be useful in tackling climate change
[https://medium.com/@CASEresearch/can-the-covid-19-response-teach-us-anything-about-tackling-the-climate-emergency-1a29cb9d1492] 
through the following:

1. Increase trust in science.
This health crisis has proven that not all heroes wear capes. Medical
professionals are now given more attention to as their expertise is vital and
essential in crafting evidence-based policies. Zubel notes that such trust
should also increase in addressing climate change.

2. Regard climate change as a global health crisis.
The difference between these global health emergencies is that “the impact of
the virus has been sudden and dramatic”, while climate change is “old, slow, and
steady”. However, there are far more millions of deaths due to air pollution,
and that change in temperatures contribute to many more common and dangerous
diseases (dengue, malaria, haemorrhagic fever, and Zika virus).

3. Take firm and immediate action.
In a research
[https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/South-Korea-and-China-earn-high-marks-in-pandemic-safety-ranking] 
done by a Hong Kong-based venture capital, countries like Israel, Germany, and
South Korea are considered role models in managing the COVID-19 outbreak. The
criteria includes quarantine efficiency, government management efficiency,
monitoring and detection, and emergency treatment readiness.

Quick and prepared — same needs to be done to prevent future worst-case climate
scenarios.

4. Apply “people first” approach.
Both the government and private sectors have shifted their focus on people,
particularly the frontliners.

> All this shows that a large-scale people-centred approach to a global crisis is
possible. Such a compassion and proactive approach in taking care of those most
vulnerable should also be addressed to those most exposed to climate and
environmental externalities. 

– Karolina Zubel, Center for Social and Economic Research
5. Boost green investments.
Zubel cited Germany as an example, which unleashed several billions of Euros for
its stimulus package to cushion the country’s economic impact. The amount is
said to almost match the expenditure on the entire EU Green Deal.

In the Philippines, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently issued a 
circular
[https://icsc.ngo/philippine-central-bank-signs-sustainable-finance-framework/] 
“to incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and sustainability
principles into their corporate strategy, risk management, and bank operations
framework”. Banks are required to submit a transition plan integrating
sustainability principles before the end of the year or six months from the
effectivity of the circular.

Sustainable finance is defined as “any form of financial product or service
which integrates environmental, social and governance criteria into business
decisions that supports economic growth and provides lasting benefit for both
clients and society while reducing pressures on the environment.” This also
includes green finance which funds green economic activities and climate change
mitigation and adaptation projects. 

6. Shift to a new way of thinking and revolutionize the culture.
With the implementation of physical distancing, the inclusion of such
constraints prompted people to act the “new normal”. Zubal regarded this
cultural change as “no less important than technological investments.”

> Climate change has been on the scientific agenda for much longer than the
COVID-19 outbreak, and tools to fight it are already in place; what we need at
this stage is the political and social will to apply them.
Organizations can take up the above lessons in decision-making toward a
sustainable future by continuously improving ESG practices and managing emerging
risks brought about by the pandemic to be able to adapt in this “new normal”.

Prioritizing climate change at this time may be challenging but sustainability
remains an integral part of Aboitiz’s business strategy, particularly, when
decisions look beyond immediate consequences and aim to balance the interests of
people, planet, and profit. 

Earlier this year, Aboitiz Equity Ventures became the first Philippine private
company to join the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
[https://aboitizeyes.aboitiz.com/post/aboitiz-is-the-first-ph-supporter-of-global-climate-change-task-force] 
The TCFD is comprised of international supporter organizations and aims to
develop recommendations to measure and respond to climate change risks, and
encourage firms to align their disclosures with investors’ needs.
In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic acts as a litmus test on how mankind — wired
to either fight or flight — chooses to respond to a crisis. The events are still
unfolding but, already, we are seeing how a unified approach (e.g. less cars on
the road) has the potential to reverse damage on a global scale, albeit
inadvertently. 




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Featured photo by Johair Siscar Addang [https://www.facebook.com/nshdmg]

Amy Melissa Chua

Words of gratitude from Aboitiz utility personnel affected by the ECQ from the COVID-19 outbreak and have received financial support from team members.

Thanking A-People For Financial Support In Pandemic

The effects of the COVID-19 outbreak have not been the same for all. While
others can work from home with regular compensation, there are those whose
finances are at risk as their income streams have come to a halt. This is the
case of Jhun Prudenciado, Aboitiz Foundation’s utility staff, whose primary
concern, like many, is where to find the means to feed a family with five kids
including a one-year-old baby.

“Mahirap ang sitwasyon namin. ‘No work, no pay’ kami. Nangamba kami saan kukunin
ang pera at pagkain pati na ang gatas at mga gamit ng mga bata. Wala kaming
naitabing pagkain nung nagsimula ang community quarantine. [Our situation is
difficult. We are on ‘no work, no pay’. We worry about where to get money and
food, including the baby’s milk and our children’s needs. We were not able to
save food when the community quarantine was first announced],” shared ‘Kuya
Jhun’, as he is called at the office.

Being aware of the plight of utility personnel, Aboitiz team members started a
fundraiser within days of the ECQ's implementation
[https://aboitizeyes.aboitiz.com/post/a-people-raise-cash-funds-for-service-personnel]
and collected PHP1.3 million that will cover two months' salary and provide
basic needs.

> Maraming, maraming salamat po sa buong Aboitiz family lalo na sa Aboitiz
Foundation na hindi po ako pinapabayaan, na laging nandiyan po para sa akin at
sa aking pamilya. Salamat po sa inyo. [Thank you to the whole Aboitiz family,
especially to the Aboitiz Foundation who never neglects us. Thank you for always
being there for me and my family.]

– Jhun Prudenciado
As part of Aboitiz Foundation, Jhun continues to assist in the COVID-19 response
efforts and handles the inventory of medical supplies being donated to various
institutions nationwide. And like all other team members involved in the
response and relief efforts, Jhun is provided with the appropriate hazard pay,
necessary safety equipment, and transportation to and from where he needs to be.

“Nandito po ako ngayon sa warehouse para sa kukuha ng donations. Iniisip ko po
na ang trabaho ko ay tulong ko na din sa mga pasyente ng pandemya [I am now here
in the warehouse to get the donations. I am thinking that my work is also my way
of helping those patients in the pandemic.],” Kuya Jhun said.

Being the family breadwinner, Julius Roa, who is among AboitizPower's support
personnel, was also relieved of his fears with the financial assistance that
will help him, his parents, and siblings take care of primary needs.

> Maraming, maraming salamat sa Aboitiz at lalong lalo na po sa mga empleyado ng
Aboitiz dahil sila po ang tumutulong sa oras na kagipitan. Inaalala din nila
kami at malimit tinatanong ang sitwasyon ngayon dahil ng lockdown [Thank you to
the Aboitiz team members, especially at this time in need. They remember us and
ask how we are because of the lockdown.] 

– Julius Roa
Despite the uncertainty of our situation, the Aboitiz Group commits to
prioritizing safety and well-being of all team members — this includes all the
hardworking utility personnel who take care of the day-to-day details at the
office. This is our core value of Responsibility at work when it counts the
most.

Aboitiz Foundation

Utility Personnel Thank A-People For Financial Support In Pandemic

In the webinar titled “Digitize and Survive
[https://www.facebook.com/theunionbankerph/posts/143095093946103?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDRn67jB7S604cwAG7xtOMQXzugV33HWLaImvYTpV8ZK6_vpUApDbncyxRGA8LZTeh3acXYk9RAXY32O9NtJVTpettgLvWLAWEgE3dhKqiahd2m5tkgy-mr8a370A6hLt3-CAWs-dVcgjYY5OIbWy5q8hfCjlYl5lJMbG5zI5Why-nPiaX2AEQAeemjAsntK_-VzxbUjQ6eQU2VE7ra5AkH2WWWfdFvUaMbhUttZRQk-P5zXYY9tQsH6wu8WVAXPJC37I19dMAx6BLSRhQ5c3-B7Th-eLvB5R5d1QSjy2F5L-5Ha8mzhVYNDn-ihv2FtFx8uexZGVsD4OFxYyZpgE5Qpp_1kTsdabXlRFOqLVhbuLHzS1E5nqSCL0-Sq3h5cONNPLaNQOliwCTEM4oyhFH_OdreRCfvmyRJKDfrFQqT6XHY8N1jBUwXv07qXyD8Kc4OwEKJbnnuhS-m91TY-o0uSyIKzb1ucVwFeKIYQhVLk3WNf0W-bWFWL-KI2sw&__tn__=-R]
”, UnionBank, in partnership with Tech Up Pilipinas, the Distributed Ledger
Technology Association of the Philippines, UBX and UnionBank GlobalLinker,
shared how small and medium enterprises — among the hardest hit by the COVID-19
outbreak — can harness technology to transform in order to stay afloat in the
new normal.

UnionBank, in partnership with Tech Up Pilipinas, the Distributed Ledger
Technology Association of the Philippines, UBX and UnionBank GlobalLinker, were
featured in a webinar to help businesses adapt to the new normal.The forum is
the first in a 4-part Tech Up series that aims to help companies evolve in
simple, easy ways - at almost no cost.

UnionBank leaders shared insights on the pressing need for enterprises to
fast-track digital transformation.

Chief Technology and Operations Officer and Chief Transformation Transformation
Officer Henry Aguda, who also sits as chairman for UBX, narrated UnionBank’s
transformation journey and its collaboration with fintechs, and discussed the
importance of investing in technology to develop new bank products and solutions
that will address the evolving needs of customers.

UnionBank’s Fintech Group introduced various digital tools and platforms for
enterprises including the business banking platform The Portal, SME platform
GlobalLinker, API Marketplace, and SME products and services of UBX such as
Sentro and Bux.

The Portal, UnionBank’s premier corporate banking platform, helps businesses
digitize through real-time transfers, simplified payments and supplier
management, easier collections through mobile check deposits, digital
self-onboarding, and multiple account management.

UnionBank GlobalLinker serves as a one-stop-shop for financial solutions,
connecting with potential partners, and free use of web building tools.

Meanwhile, the API Marketplace (developer.unionbankph.com
[http://developer.unionbankph.com]) gives access to application programming
interfaces (APIs) to tap existing functionalities of the bank or other fintechs,
such as authentication, payments, fund transfers and verification, among others.

On the other hand, SME platforms of UBX make doing business easier such as
online MSME marketplace SeekCap for business loans, Bux’s payment solutions
including over 50,000 over-the-counter branches, and Sentro where businesses can
set-up an online store and make use of upcoming features such as logistics.

You may watch the recorded Digitize and Survive webinar here
[https://www.facebook.com/dltap.ph/videos/vb.111682583609632/1327751857418254/?type=2&theater]
.

UnionBank Leads SMEs In Navigating The New Normal

The Aboitiz Group affirmed its commitment to good corporate governance,
demonstrating business continuity amid the COVID-19 crisis with the staging of
its AEV and AboitizPower annual stockholders’ meetings (ASMs), online for the
first time.

AEV and AboitizPower proceeded with their annual stockholders' meetings (ASMs)
done entirely virtually for the first time.This year’s ASMs were held last April
27 and every year, these events are identified as stakeholder engagement
channels and form an integral part of the Aboitiz corporate governance policy.
They were carried out on-schedule despite the extension given by the Securities
and Exchange Commission for the submission of listed firms’ annual reports.

The Aboitiz Group also launched its first-ever fully-digital Consolidated
Annual
& Sustainability Report
[https://aboitizsite-mediafiles.s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/default/files/2019_AEV_Consolidated_Annual_and_Sustainability_Report_Spread.pdf]
, which means there would be no more printed copies.

“Our ASMs are the result of meticulous planning and careful execution anchored
on our core corporate values (integrity, teamwork, innovation, and
responsibility) and our groupwide digital transformation that is already firmly
in place,” said Sabin M. Aboitiz, AEV President & CEO, adding that the Group did
not have to spend on new infrastructure or human resources.

Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, it has been “business as usual” at
Aboitiz. Board meetings have proceeded as scheduled, along with internal and
external meetings, via videoconferencing and remote work tools.

> The Aboitiz Group continuously finds better ways of doing business,
experimenting and reinventing where possible. In the true spirit of innovation,
we commit to address the rapidly changing business environment, and to position
the Group in this disruptive landscape.
Online analysts’ briefings
As early as 2018, the Aboitiz Group already announced the beginning of the
company’s digital transformation journey. With it, a goal of working toward a
united digital experience to transform businesses through digital technology in
order to enhance customer experiences.

> We have recognized that all of us need to be connected, have easy access to
information, work collaboratively with limited resources, and achieve efficiency
in less time.
That same year, the Aboitiz analysts’ briefings (uploaded to the Aboitiz website
after live streaming) were recognized in 2018 by investor relations publication
IR Magazine as one of the best uses of multimedia for investor relations in
South East Asia (Best use of multimedia for IR: How Aboitiz won in South East
Asia
[https://www.irmagazine.com/technology-social-media/best-use-multimedia-ir-how-aboitiz-won-south-east-asia]
).

AEV was lauded for its use of multimedia in Southeast Asia at the Investor
Relations Magazine Awards in 2018.The Aboitiz Group started live streaming and
recording ASMs and analysts’ briefings internally as early as 2017.

Online Stockholders' Meeting and 2019 Annual Report Affirm Aboitiz Business Continuity

Gia Mendoza

As the pandemic forces most of us to stay at home, losing touch with the friends
you used to see on a daily basis and missing out on the activities you were used
to doing could be a bit disconcerting. Then there's the feeling of being all
alone.

To help team members who may have fallen into their slump of loneliness, AEV HR
doubled up on efforts to create a welcoming safe digital space for A-People to
stay connected and reach out to when they need it. An online internal campaign
called #LetsStayConnected was launched and taps all available communication
channels to engage and check-in on Aboitiz team members in various ways.

The #LetsStayConnected campaign is made up of different programs that provide
different kinds of support to team members during this pandemic. From promoting
lifelong learning to nurturing emotional wellness and keeping physically fit,
the campaign’s holistic approach aims to address the needs of the A-People in
this trying time.
Gain a new skill with #LearningLunes
What better way to start the week than by learning something new? To foster our
#StudentAlways mindset, AEV HR shares learning platforms, books, and materials
at the start of each week. A number of #LearningLunes sessions, which discussed
Continuous Improvement and Digital Marketing, were livestreamed through AGORA
2.0. Other Mondays were set aside for team leaders who shared a list of books or
online courses that resonated with them and which they hoped to impart with
A-People.

Some Agora posts promoting learning activities AEV HR lined up throughout the
ECQ.A-Clubs are also doing their part by sharing their expertise! Sew Very Happy
Club gave a tutorial on DIY reusable face masks; the Bon A-ppetit club hopped on
the latest coffee trend with a tutorial on how to make dalgona coffee; and
Likhaan showed how to grow a little herb garden from the comfort of your own
home. 

> I look forward to #LearningLunes webinars to kickstart my workweek. It's the
timeslot when I enjoy hearing from other team members and getting a glimpse of
their expertise and passions. The  learning experience is best shared with my
work teammates giving us topics outside of regular work, or how we can apply
best practices to our deliverables. 
- Gil Gonzales [https://aboitiz.workplace.com/profile.php?id=100033894615795], 
Aboitiz Foundation
Learn how to manage stress and anxiety in different ways
Going on individual  learning journeys also means giving extra care and
attention to one's emotional well-being, punctuated by these times when much
remains unclear.

Through a series of curated programs and wellness activities to alleviate some
of the stress and anxiety that our team members may be feeling. 

The first program was an hour-long online session on AGORA 2.0 with psychiatrist
Dr. Joyce Maglaque, who discussed stress management
[https://aboitizeyes.aboitiz.com/post/a-people-learn-about-managing-anxiety-under-a-pandemic] 
and shared the roots and causes of related feeling, the body's and the brain's
reactions to these situations, and how to alleviate these negative feelings. 

Read also: A-People Learn About Managing Anxiety Under A Pandemic
[https://aboitizeyes.aboitiz.com/post/a-people-learn-about-managing-anxiety-under-a-pandemic]

A breathing and meditation session was held after work hours to further soothe
the anxieties of our A-People. Led by Neil Salang of Awake.Ph and YogaPlus, team
members learned a few stretching exercises and breathing techniques. The session
showed the power of the mind and how we have control over our thoughts and
feelings.

There is also regular online counseling session for those who need to let out
their feelings and thoughts on their situation and relieve them of stress and
anxiety. Teri Lee Symaco, a registered counselor, is available Monday to Friday
for team members.

> Staying connected  with my teammates through video calls, workout sessions,
trivia nights, and other activities helps me stay productive and mentally
healthy, and helps ease the anxiety brought about by our current situation.  By
constantly checking in with each other despite the distance, we demonstrate how
much we care about one another. I’m thankful to be a part of a company that
makes proactive efforts to bring its employees together amid these uncertain
times. - Aly Virrey
[https://aboitiz.workplace.com/profile.php?id=100044232158437], Aboitiz
InfraCapital
Physical activities were also held for those who like to keep it moving. A barre
class was led by Barre3 PH instructor, Jem Vivo
[https://aboitiz.workplace.com/profile.php?id=100035118735884] of Aboitiz
InfraCapital. A-People who love to dance can attend an E-Zoomba class that is
held every Tuesday, in partnership with AboitizPower and the Aboitiz Dance
Society.

Be part of A-Community that cares
To provide team members with a deeper sense of community, the A-Community
Support Group was established in AGORA 2.0 with each group comprising of team
members residing in a certain area or city. This is a more personal approach to
hearing out their struggles and sharing information in their respective cities. 

Currently, a total of 16 city-based group chats have been established where team
members can swap localized concerns, pass around tips and tricks for best time
to do grocery shopping, and navigate checkpoints and certain roads.

Thoughtfulness goes a long way
Being out of touch from teammates may deal a heavy blow on an individual used to
workplace interaction which may create a sense of loneliness and even
work-related burnout. 

Every week, a reminder is sent to team members to encourage them to check up on
their teams during their video meetings. By checking in on one another, we are
able to strengthen employee engagement despite the distance.

> Throughout the ECQ, our team has been meeting at least twice a week just to
check-in on one another. While work is usually 80% of the agenda, tuning in on
each other's personal lives and well-being just as we would had there been no
lockdown makes living through these hard times more bearable. In fact, we even
had our own fund-raising trivia night for our ates and kuyas! When the mood
seems to be down, it always helps to strike a conversation about the littlest of
things - someone being in a different room for every video call, someone didn't
cut his hair for 8 weeks, someone has pink curtains/blinds, and someone has a
treadmill that he's never used! - Rendell Ng
[https://aboitiz.workplace.com/profile.php?id=100026786040810], AEV
Adjusting to the new normal
As the pandemic persists, the Aboitiz Group commits to do all that it can to
protect the goose and its team members. Although we may be physically apart, the
group has not let up on its efforts to keep us socially connected for as long as
we can to keep ourselves safe and healthy. #LetsStayConnected and together, we
can get through this as #OneAboitiz.

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