As the country begins to bounce back under the “new normal,” let us acknowledge the private companies that have extended assistance in our fight to contain the pandemic. These companies include the Aboitiz Group, ABS-CBN and the Lopez Group, Alliance Global, AY Foundation and RCBC, Ayala Corp., Caritas Manila, Century Pacific, Gokongwei Group of Companies, International Container Terminal Services, Inc., Jollibee Foods Corp., MVP Group, Puregold, the SM Group, Sunlife of Canada and Suyen Corporation, among others,
Also on top of the list is San Miguel Corporation under the leadership of Don Ramon S. Ang. Let us draw inspiration from what he has initiated through the SMC to help not only his employees and the front line workers, but also every Filipino throughout the country.
When government placed the country under a State of Emergency in March, San Miguel Corporation was among the first corporations to respond to President Duterte’s call for help amidst the crisis.
At the start of the lockdown in March, Mr. Ang assured Filipinos that SMC’s supply chain is stable and it has the capacity to produce enough food products to deliver to supermarkets.
SMC’s employees, consultants and contract workers were given full compensation. Mr. Ang acknowledges that these are trying times and SMC is not immune to the challenges of the crisis. But for him, the safety and security of SMC’s work force will always come first and they should not be worrying about their jobs.
Aside from this, SMC has undertaken several initiatives to help the government and those affected by the pandemic. These include: food donations including canned goods, rice, coffee, milk, meat and poultry, biscuits and the nutri-bun inspired bread; alcohol donation to hospitals, LGUs and front line workers; medical donations consisting of PCR testing machines, testing kits, and personal protective equipment; fuel donation to DoTR and MMDA to transport medical front liners; waived toll fees for medical front liners; emergency quarantine facilities and the Php100 million contribution from Ramon S. Ang and family to Project Ugnayan.
To boost government funds in its fight against COVID-19, SMC has remitted P8.77 billion in advance tax, concession and contractual payments to the government treasury.
SMC’s newest initiative is the Better World Edsa facility, a state-of-the-art COVID-19 RT-PCR testing laboratory which aims to test some 70,000 employees in its network. It is equipped with two sets of RT-PCR machines and fully automated nucleic acid extraction systems or NATCH. A set is comprised of two PCR machines and one NATCH. It has the capacity to process 4,000 tests per day. With the facility in place, the country’s testing and processing facilities will be unburdened.
In an interview with foreign correspondents and was asked if he was concern that he is giving away too much of the company's money, Mr. Ang replied."We cannot afford to simply not move forward because of the pandemic. We have to make sure that our economy keeps on going, so with the livelihood of our people as well as the flagship projects that we have embarked on. We can make money again but life, once you lose it, it's gone forever. So between money and life, I'd choose life."
Ang, recipient of the prestigious JCI Senate Philippines’ The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award in 2019, indeed has the heart and heroism of a Filipino. He has shown his concern for his fellowmen not only during this time of the pandemic but through the various programs San Miguel Corporation undertakes through the SMC Foundation.
He has shown how it is to be a leader as he successfully guided SMC to become one of the country’s most diversified conglomerates. From being purely a food and beverage manufacturing company, it is now engaged in energy, fuel and oil, infrastructure, real estate and water. The diversification of SMC has enabled it to participate in the government’s massive infrastructure program. At present, SMC is building the $15-B international airport in Bulacan. The airport will boost tourism and ease congestion at the existing international airport in Manila.
The author had several opportunities to personally meet Mr. Ang during his meetings with former President Fidel V. Ramos at the latter’s RPDEV office in Makati.
Former President Ramos describes Mr. Ang as a visionary; a patriotic and strategic thinker. He has a grasp of what it means to be maka-Diyos, maka-Tao, maka-Kalikasan and maka-Bansa. But more importantly, Mr. Ang takes to heart and fully embraces the Filipino trait, malasakit.
As the country continues its fight to contain COVID-19, it’s hard to say how many more businesses will close and how many more workers will lose jobs. But the country will pull through because we have business leaders like Ramon S. Ang.
The author is the official biographer of the FVR family and has written at least 37 books.