MPIC, MVP Group bolsters PH Gov’t vaccination initiatives

Makati, Philippines, 18th August 2021 – Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) and PLDT are set to distribute 50,000 AstraZeneca COVID vaccines for five local government units in Metro Manila and Mindanao, to augment the ongoing vaccination efforts of the government. With the assistance of Zuellig Pharma and four Metro Pacific Hospitals, the two batches of vaccines shared with PLDT-Smart Foundation are allocated for the Malabon, Navotas, Davao, Bacolod, and General Santos LGUs. 

As a leading infrastructure holding company committed towards nation-building, MPIC aims to help the country further reopen its economy and continue to move forward amid the pandemic. Pushing towards this, the group has pledged alongside other private sector companies to pay for vaccine doses, dispensed equally between supplementing the government’s supply and covering the employees in the private sector. 

In November 27 of last year, over 30 business leaders inked a deal with the Philippine government for 2.6 million doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. MPIC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan signed on behalf of the conglomerate, with the deal supplementing the government’s endeavors to secure supplies to inoculate around two-thirds of the population. The 50,000 vaccine doses from the MVP group will be sufficient for 25,000 individuals for their first and second doses. 

Last August 17, General Santos received the first batch of 2,500 doses as one of the first local government units to receive the vaccines. St. Elizabeth Hospital, a Metro Pacific Hospital and MVP Group Company, will administer the inoculation program in support of GenSan’s local vaccination initiative. 

Today the Davao LGU, represented by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, received its first 5,000 doses from MPIC and PLDT, represented by Chairman Pangilinan, to be inoculated through the Davao Doctors Hospital. 

“We know that our local executives have been very busy 24/7 and remain at the frontlines as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to endanger lives, especially with new variants arising. While your City Government has admirably responded to the needs of the people, we understand that the situation calls for “all-hands-on deck”,” said Chairman Pangilinan. “We join you in our common goal to attain herd immunity as soon as possible. We pray that the pandemic may end soon, but while we might still have a long way to go before we can truly revert to normal, be assured of our support to make the way less painful for our countrymen.”

In receiving the vaccines, Mayor Sara thanked Chairman MVP and the officials of MPIC and PLDT-Smart Foundation for their support in the COVID-19 vaccination in Davao City. “With the invaluable support of the private sector in efforts to inoculate more Davaoeños, we are hopeful that we may see a reduction in the number of our confirmed cases and look forward to attaining herd immunity in Davao City and the entire Davao region,” added Mayor Sara. 

“The various Foundations under the MVP Group are relentless in filling the gaps and reaching out to help the country, so that soon we can reopen its economy and continue to move forward amidst the pandemic” says MPIF President Melody del Rosario. “On our part, we hope that through our humble vaccine support, we are enabling more Davaoeños to brave the circumstances of the new normal.” 

Present during the turnover were Davao City City Health Office OIC Dr. Ashley Lopez, Davao City City Administrator Atty. Juleika Lopez, Davao Doctors Hospital President & CEO Celso Bernard Lopez, Metro Pacific Investments Foundation President Melody del Rosario, PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos, PLDT Chief People Officer Gina Ordonez, PLDT Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer Os dela Paz, PLDT First Vice President and Group Head for Corporate Communications Cathy Yang, and PLDT Vice President for People Operations and Enablement JM Co, and PLDT Assistant Vice President and Head Mindanao Corporate Relationship Management Benbrackie Melasa, among other attendees from the MVP group, Davao Doctors Hospital, and Davao LGU.

The turnover to the Bacolod LGU is tentatively scheduled for the 23rd of August and will be delivered through Riverside Hospital, another institution under Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. (MPHHI). Doses allocated for Malabon and Navotas, as well as doses to be administered by Makati Medical Center, will be distributed in the weeks to come. The second batch of 50,000 AstraZeneca doses are expected to arrive in January or February for beneficiaries that the group has yet to identify.

MPIC envisions to continuously supplement the government’s COVID-19 efforts and now aims to significantly contribute towards successfully achieving herd immunity in the country.

MPIC’s support for the government’s vaccination initiatives is aligned with its commitment to contribute to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG#3 Good Health & Well-Being, which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all, at all ages. 

About MPIC

MPIC is a leading infrastructure holding company with a diverse set of assets held through our operating companies. Through acquisitions and strategic partnerships, we seek to create value by upgrading infrastructure, improving operational efficiency, increasing customer coverage and working closely with regulators and other partners in government.

Through our operating companies, we strive to deliver high quality and affordable services for customers, provide safe workplaces and merit-based opportunities for employees and generate reasonable returns for business partners and investors. Our operating companies are making a difference to the lives of millions of Filipinos, powering commerce and households, connecting people and places, delivering clean and safe water, and making world-class standards of healthcare available to all.

MPIC’s operating companies include Manila Electric Company, Maynilad Water Services, Inc., MetroPac Water Investments Corporation, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc., Light Rail Manila Corporation and mWell. 

About MPIF

MPIF is a constituent of the Corporate Social Responsibility Council of the Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) group of companies, known as “Tulong Kapatid”. It has a Board of Trustees and is collectively managed by MVP group representatives with the objective of complementing MPIC’s investment and management strategy in physical infrastructure and public services by helping to alleviate poverty, provide high-quality educational opportunities for children and promote conservation of our natural environment.

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For further information, please contact:

Melody del Rosario

VP – Public Relations and Corporate Communications, MPIC

09189635639