Given the unprecedented and unexpected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entire globe, developing economies such as the Philippines are especially at risk of long-term and more devastating consequences of this ongoing public health crisis.

As the government continues to perform its mandate to provide healthcare services and rehabilitation efforts for citizens, the private sector has also stepped in to do its share in ensuring far-reaching recovery and continuing sustainable progress for the entire nation.

The Gokongwei Group commits to this role through a deliberate corporate social responsibility (CSR) program that seeks to ensure the country’s resiliency against the physical, economic and societal effects of COVID-19 through the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s (GBF) Juan Communities program.

Juan Communities paves the way in bringing to life the Group’s commitment to the sustainable development of the nation. From its flagship educational and scholarship programs, it has now expanded to include the rehabilitation and recovery of Filipinos particularly in the area of healthcare in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as disaster relief operations.

As the program name suggests, the core strategy of Juan Communities is to extend assistance to communities in the Gokongwei Group’s sites of operation, which span almost all regions across the country.

Grace Colet, GBF Executive Director said working hand in hand with the Gokongwei Group and fellow co-advocates, GBF aims to make a real difference in uplifting the lives of the families and the educational state of their community.

“By way of our Juan Communities program, we aim to contribute in building the nation through education, one community at a time, but given the extent of this pandemic, we need to include health to address the most community concerns,” Colet said.

Thanks to the extensive presence of the various business units under the Gokongwei Group’s JG Summit Holdings, namely Universal Robina Corporation (URC), Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC), Cebu Pacific, Robinsons Bank and JG Summit Petrochemicals Group (JGSPG), and from sister companies Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI) and Summit Media Group (SMG) —Juan Communities is able to deliver on its vision of building recovery and resilience one community at a time.

Mitigating public health risks

Apart from meeting the immediate needs of community residents in terms of daily needs through relief assistance of food, a core component of the Juan Communities COVID response focused on resiliency against the risks of the ongoing pandemic as well as any future public health threats.

Strategic partnerships with local government units (LGU) addressed their needs toward more efficient and automated contact tracing and management of medical records. GBF, in partnership with RLC, donated computers and equipment to Pasig City and Quezon City in bolstering the public health operations of these LGUs. In the capital city of Manila, GBF donated nucleic acid diagnostic kits as well as a substantial financial assistance for the LGU’s efforts in COVID management, likewise in coordination with RLC.

Juan Communities also focused on filling the gap in the demand for vital medical items such as personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfectants, medications, and medical apparatus such as syringe pumps, cardiac monitors, defibrillators, medical beds and the like.

GBF and RLC identified the Cebu City Medical Center as one of the main beneficiaries in Cebu City; while RRHI and GBF selected hospitals and barangay health centers in Cebu City and Talisay City.

GBF and URC coursed their donations through major healthcare institutions in Cavite such as the De La Salle Medical Center and Langkaan Barangay Health Center in Dasmarinas. Other key areas of operation for the food and beverage manufacturer include Laguna, Batangas and Rizal, where barangay health care units and hospitals received significant donations of medical equipment and supplies to ensure continued health care service for their constituents. RBank, meanwhile, made sure that all priority needs and donations are received by their stakeholders in Rizal and Cavite.

To date, Juan Communities has reached a total of 54 LGUs, barangay health centers, hospitals and public schools across the country, distributing a more than 270,000 PPEs, medications, and medical equipment, and around 2,300 assorted school supplies and equipment.

Early last year at the start of the pandemic, the Gokongwei Group immediately responded to the emerging crisis by earmarking P100 million as financial support for the provision of much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies for hospitals and frontliners, as well as funding for its participation in a consortium of Philippine businesses geared toward widespread COVID-19 testing.

Then during the latter part of last year, GBF appropriated an additional P50 million fund in recognition of the need for continued support toward mitigating the adverse effects of the pandemic. The fund will be dedicated to responding to the needs of “Juan Communities” in their ongoing battle with COVID-19 and in adapting to the new normal.

As the program continues to roll out with the ensuing pandemic, an integral component of resiliency against COVID-19 is proper vaccination. In line with this, the Gokongwei Group has committed to procure an estimated 130,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, to date, through “A Dose of Hope,” a tri-partite agreement between the government and the private sector in support of the former’s goal of vaccinating 70 million Filipinos by 2021.

While there may be no clear end yet in sight for this challenging pandemic, the Gokongwei Group hopes that with its commitment to provide much-needed support to communities across the country, the nation’s journey to full recovery becomes a swift, successful and sustainable one.