Ayala group pays ahead ₱9.86-B taxes

The Ayala group of companies settled taxes of about ₱9.86 billion before the extended June 14, 2020 deadline to help boost the government’s coffers and allotment to COVID-19 response.

In a statement, Ayala Corporation said these firms form the core value drivers of the Ayala group — Ayala Corporation, Ayala Land, Inc., Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Telecommunications, Inc., AC Energy, and Manila Water Corporation.

In a joint statement made last week, brothers Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and Fernando Zobel de Ayala, who serve as the group’s chairman and president, respectively, expressed their gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte for recognizing Ayala’s support to the government's initiatives.

“We are committed to help the President tackle the many challenges he has to deal with and are confident that by working together, our country can overcome each challenge, save lives, and gradually put the country back on a path of growth,” they said.

The Zobel brothers also emphasized the importance of public-private cooperation as the country deals with the vast impact of the pandemic. To date, the Ayala group has contributed about ₱5.6 billion in anti-COVID-19 initiatives aimed to protect its employees, support its partners and clients, and provide for the communities it serves.

The Ayala group also took the lead in the conversion of the World Trade Center into a 500-bed quarantine facility that features safe and controlled isolation cubicles as well as examination rooms and quarters for medical personnel.