Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), one of the country’s leading infrastructure investment companies, is taking strides to further its purpose of uplifting the lives of all the Filipinos it serves, including enabling micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the key services it provides.
Pioneering a strong sustainability thrust for Philippine companies, MPIC’s Chief Finance, Sustainability, and Risk Officer Chaye A. Cabal-Revilla shared its corporate-wide strategy through the United Nations Global Compact Network Philippines (GCNP)’s Sustainability Summit held last November 17-18 entitled “From Ambition to Action: Accelerating MSMEs Recovery through the 10-in-10 Agenda”.
Gustavo Gonzalez, UN Resident Coordinator for the Philippines, spoke at the plenary where he recognized, “People are at the centre of the UN’s Socio-economic and Peace Framework (SEPF), particularly the ones most at risk for being left behind. The emphasis is on transitioning to a healthier, resource-efficient green and circular economy, health and education systems that are fit for purpose and deliver services better to all, and sustainable social peace”.
The two-day online event, joined by 21 speakers and seven CEOs, launched the 10-in-10 Private Sector Champions, an initiative formed to transform into concrete action the 10-in-10 Business Ambition, a recovery and sustainability roadmap to support MSMEs.
As GCNP Chairman Yayu Javier emphasized, “This is the time to make the difference in the way we operate our products and employees, to build resilience and sustainability of MSMEs.”
MPIC’s Role in Empowering MSMEs
With assets in key utilities such as power, water, transportation, and healthcare, MPIC is poised to be a partner in nation-building, with a progressive goal to create a bigger impact and play an integral role in enabling a viable future – primarily for its many stakeholders such as its customers, employees, investors, and the rest of the communities that it engages, including MSMEs.
“We have developed our sustainability thrust to answer the imperative questions of why we do what we do, who we are doing it for, what outcomes we aim to achieve, and how we can achieve them,” says Cabal-Revilla. “We really feel that enabling MSMEs and improving the lives of Filipinos and the communities that we serve as part of our purpose, is also really enabling our business because they are our customers as well. If we empower them and they thrive, this benefits all of us – their families, our businesses and our country’s economy.”
Aside from providing key services integral to the operations of MSME business owners, MPIC, along with the entire Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) Group of Companies has pushed for Gabay Kabuhayan, one of their six Gabay Advocacies for a Sustainable Philippines. Alongside Gabay Kalikasan, Gabay Kabataan, Gabay Karunungan, Gabay Kalusugan, and Gabay Komunidad, this advocacy serves the purpose of creating meaningful impact to the lives of all Filipinos.
Gabay Kabuhayan opens more doors for small and medium entrepreneurs through microfinancing, capacity building, livelihood training programs, distribution of tools and equipment needed for businesses, among others, geared by the belief that it is Filipino nature to persevere, rise above poverty, and take hold of their futures.
The Gabay advocacies round out the holistic sustainability approach that MPIC and the entire MVP Group aims to achieve throughout all its operations, with the intention of generating long-term benefits for the business, the stakeholders, and the environment.
“As a conglomerate, we are staunch advocates for innovation and social responsibility across all our businesses, driven by our responsibility in making a positive impact that contributes to the sustainable development of our country, our people, and our planet,” says MPIC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan.
Pushing Towards Transformation
Segmented per subsidiary, MPIC’s businesses already address sustainability and generate significant impacts per company. However, coming in as a conglomerate with an integrated sustainability strategy positions MPIC to do more for the country—and ultimately, the planet—as opposed to its contributions individually.
At the forefront of its sustainability thrust is business transformation and the accelerated transition from risk management to digital resilience. Even prior to the pandemic, the group has already explored opportunities for the improvement of its operations, zeroing in on how leveraging technology will push its sustainability agenda to a higher level.
Covering all aspects of EESG, digital resilience is the tool by which the conglomerate aims to attain financial, climate, organizational/operational, and reputational resilience, through continuous innovation, the use of technology to protect the planet, the use of technology to improve customer relations and service, and strengthened enterprise security and data privacy.
MPIC President and CEO Jose Ma. K. Lim highlights the need for these advancements. “MSMEs make up a significant portion of our customer base and it is crucial for us to continuously innovate and develop our services to address their changing needs, so in turn, they can fulfill the needs of their businesses.”
All of MPIC’s businesses have pivoted towards capitalizing the digital sphere to further improve its operations and services: the Tollroads’ new subsidiary MPT Mobility offers solutions for a variety of customer needs and provide life conveniences via a digital interface; Meralco’s Customer Centricity Transformation Program that improves customer service by digitalizing payment transactions, service applications, customer channels, and feedback management; Maynilad’s state-of-the-art, fully-automated control rooms that get real-time water info levels at any part of their concession areas, monitor raw water resources in dams like Angat and Laguna Lake with precision, and forecast production against water resource availability against demand; the mWell telemedicine app, the country’s first fully integrated health and wellness app that provides an all-around digitized platform for all healthcare needs; and Landco’s digital platforms that offer services with real-time, seamless, and cashless transactions using the Milli app.
With its end-to-end approach integrated into both its business and corporate social responsibility DNA, MPIC as an organization aims to utilize the breadth of its purpose to be able to protect the planet and strive towards sustainable national development.