Business Review
Social Commitment
Message from the Company President
The strong sense of optimism and hope that permeated the country in 2010 following the orderly turnout of the national elections gave us additional impetus to accelerate our programs to reach an even greater number of Filipinos, especially those at the base of the economic pyramid. The success of this national exercise elucidated the capacity of Filipinos to work in unity toward a common goal and indicated their hope for positive change for their country.
Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) shares this hope and this same desire for social transformation through unified action and this has fueled all of the Foundation’s activities. Our pioneering efforts in the field of consortium-building reached several high points—proving that all sectors of society, even business competitors, could work together harmoniously, and bring about positive change in society.
In particular, the Gearing up Internet Literacy and Access for Students (GILAS) consortium successfully connected 45 percent of the country’s public high schools to the World Wide Web—exposing millions of Filipino high school students to the wealth of knowledge and educational materials available online, and at the same time giving them the opportunity to hone their computer skills.
This milestone would not have been reached without the commitment of the GILAS stakeholders—the Department of Education; provincial, municipal, and city governments; community members; various business organizations; nongovernment and private groups; overseas Filipinos; and teachers and students.
Partnerships also made it possible for Ayala Foundation USA (AF USA) to transform itself into the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev), under the leadership of Filipino-Americans. While still “passionately committed to sustainable and equitable development in the Philippines,” PhilDev will give special attention to the country’s need to improve its human resources and physical facilities in science and technology to address the global market for its products and services. The end goal is to attract investors and entrepreneurs in order to create value and generate jobs.
This year, we reached another high point in our quest to foster unity and collaboration among various stakeholders. MyLibrary, a project initiated by the Filipinas Heritage Library, aims to build or rehabilitate community libraries across the country, and to promote a culture of reading among Filipinos, particularly the youth. In its first year, MyLibrary received the active support of business organizations, local government units, and communities for the rehabilitation of two community libraries—in Tiwi, Albay, and San Pascual, Batangas. More community libraries are in the process of development.
As AFI enters its 50th year in 2011, we take pride in our successes, and look forward to the challenges of development still awaiting us. The vision of improving the quality of life of Filipinos is a lofty one and sometimes seems unattainable. We are, however, convinced that in harnessing the power of partnerships, we have made a significant difference in the lives of millions of Filipinos. We therefore continue to commit ourselves to building and strengthening our partnerships for the next 50 years.
VICTORIA P. GARCHITORENA
President
OPERATIONS REVIEW
In 2010, Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) intensified its work in its key program areas: education and leadership development; community development; technology and entrepreneurship; environment and sustainability; and art, history, and culture.
EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
On its fifth year, the Gearing up Internet Literacy and Access for Students (GILAS) consortium connected 523 public high schools tothe Internet and facilitated the training of teachers in the use and care of the donated equipment. As of 2010, 3,040 or 45% of the 6,786 public high schools all over the country were connected to the Internet. This benefits over 3.5 million students and provides training to more than 12,000 teachers.
Text2Teach was launched in seven cities and municipalities in three provinces in 2010, reaching a total of 83 public elementary schools, with a student population of nearly 10,000. To date, Text2Teach has reached over 29,000 students from 406 schools in 27 provinces, cities, and municipalities. For 2011, Text2Teach will be implemented in 149 more schools, so the project can reach its cumulative total of 555 schools.
The Center of Excellence in Public Elementary Education (CENTEX) remained true to its mission of providing high-quality basic education to bright students from poor communities. The CENTEX public schools in Manila and Batangas remain committed to molding well-rounded young individuals, who are not only excellent in academics, but also have moral integrity and a high potential for leadership. In addition, CENTEX also promotes the continued professional growth of teachers. In 2010, 63 teachers from Manila and Batangas participated in its annual teacher-training workshop, while three other teachers received scholarships to attend training workshops in Singapore and Hawaii.
CENTEX introduced A Class of Your Own, a program that encourages companies and individuals to support a class of kindergarten students, in the hope that the donors will continue supporting the same class until it graduates from grade school. In 2010, Thomson Reuters adopted a class of 25 students in CENTEX Manila, while an anonymous donor adopted a class in CENTEX Batangas. In addition, the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) gala raised a total of P1.5 million, enough to cover four classes. In addition, JP Morgan Chase donated P1.6 million to cover three classes of 25 pupils each, teacher training and enhancement activities for CENTEX.
AFI’s efforts in nurturing servant leaders from among the brightest students in the country saw the successful holding of the 2010 Ayala Young Leaders Congress, which attracted 81 student leaders from 52 colleges and universities nationwide.
Meanwhile, the AYLC-inspired Leadership Communities (LeadComm) was pilot-tested in Catanduanes with 79 student leader participants. The goal of LeadComm is to bring AYLC to the provinces.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
With the continuing threat of natural calamities facing the country, AFI joined the pioneering Our Lighthouse Alliance, which has set up Project Noah’s Ark. Noah’s Ark seeks to prepare high-risk communities for natural calamities, through proper training, setting up appropriate disaster-response protocols, and identifying and developing potential evacuation areas. In 2010, AFI brought the project to two pilot sites.
AFI also continued to implement various community development projects in the Buklod Bahayan Day Care Center in Cavite; Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro; and Baclayon and Dauis, Bohol.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AFI’s entrepreneurship programs managed by the Ayala Technology Business Incubator (Ayala TBI) conducted five TechBootCamps in 2010 in collaboration with public and private sector partners. TechBootCamp is a rigorous training program that helps start-ups launch their business ideas into profitable ventures. A wide range of business concepts were presented at these TechBootCamps, providing innovative solutions to challenges in such fields as information and communication technology, access to clean water, robotics, and food production. A total of 77 business ideas were pitched in five TechBootCamps.
In addition, Ayala TBI held six Kape + Teknolohiya forums and six Innovation Forums. These forums serve as a platform for interaction among stakeholders in science and technology, funding, and entrepreneurship, as well as a venue to discuss innovations and trends in technology and entrepreneurship.
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
The solid waste management program under the Environment and Sustainability Division continues to contribute to the diversion of solid waste for recycling. The 280 buildings within the Makati Central Business District yielded 1,682 assorted recyclables amounting to P12.88 million.
On the other hand, the Ayala Recyclables Fair (ARF) being implemented in seven Ayala Malls, two estate development project areas, one University and Taguig barangay recovered 81 tons and 3,000 pieces of assorted recyclables worth almost P600,000. Close to 900 individuals and companies participated in ARF by selling various recyclables.
Aside from solid-waste management, the environment and sustainability division also implemented programs in energy efficiency, clean air, and clean water. AFI partnered with the International Finance Corporation for a public awareness campaign in energy efficiency. The foundation also participated in a series of organizational meetings geared toward the establishment of a Sustainable Energy Network. In addition, AFI gathered baseline data for a study on smoke emission in three public utility jeepney routes in Makati City.
ART, HISTORY, AND CULTURE
The Ayala Museum showed noteworthy and memorable exhibitions in 2010, including a tribute to the art patron Purita Kalaw-Ledesma, National Artist Vicente Manansala, and the figurative expressionist Onib Olmedo. In addition, the museum exhibited the works of contemporary artists such as Olivia d’Aboville, Claude Tayag, and the Ayala Museum welcomed 111,913 visitors in 2010 the winners of the 43rd Shell National Student Art Competition. It also intensified its educational programs through such lecture series as Design Talks, which featured some of the leading design professionals in the country and abroad; and History Comes Alive!, which featured the renowned historian Ambeth Ocampo.
To bring art closer to the public, the museum partnered with the Ayala Malls in hosting six Art Park exhibitions. Also, an exhibition of the latest works of National Artist Arturo Luz was brought to the Ayala Triangle Gardens.
Meanwhile, the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL), in cooperation with the Ayala group of companies, started 2010 by spearheading Bravo! Celebrating the Filipino, a festival that honored the achievements of Filipinos in the fields of music, dance, photography, fashion, and cinema. Later in the year, FHL partnered with the National Book Development Board in holding Future of the Book: The First Digital Publishing Conference; and Lit Out Loud, the first Philippine International Literary Festival.
To support the continuing professional education of librarians, FHL organized the second LibraryLink conference, which served as a venue for the discussion of issues related to digital archiving and the preservation of library materials.
FHL also started the MyLibrary project, which aims to build or rehabilitate community libraries all over the country, and to encourage young people to read. In partnership with Chevron Philippines, FHL facilitated the rehabilitation of libraries and the training of librarians in Tiwi, Albay, and San Pascual, Batangas. FHL also organized a reading campaign and story-telling sessions in these areas. More community libraries will be established or rehabilitated in the coming months.
DIASPORA PHILANTHROPY
In 2010, Ayala Foundation USA (AF USA) was transformed into the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev), which was envisioned as an organization focused on promoting and supporting science, technology, business, and education for the social and economic development of the Philippines. AF USA/ PhilDev raised almost US$2 million in funds (cash and in kind) for various development projects in the Philippines.
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