YUCHENGCO GROUP
PHILIPPINE STAR: What has your group contributed toward nation-building? Yuchengco group chairman helen Yuchengco-Dee: The Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC) started with property insurance, protecting assets and providing stability to families and companies.
After that, YGC established Grepalife as a life insurance company targeting teachers to have life insurance for protection and for accumulating savings.
Many types of policies were developed later to cover family needs for housing, pension and many other insurance needs.
From insurance to banking
In 1963, YGC established development banking in the Province of Rizal, which evolved into a commercial, then savings bank, then a universal bank.
RCBC transformed a rural bank to Rizal Micro Bank. We have a wide range of banking clients. One is real estate. We finance structures and buildings for industry, commercial establishments, housing including condominiums, schools, hotels and restaurants, hospitals, subdivision development and townships and even memorial parks.
Another is industry and manufacturing. We finance the development of power plants, electric and water distribution, renewable energy, automotive and truck assembly and parts manufacturing, apparel, furniture, food processing, and oil refineries and fuel distribution.
Another client is the transport sector. These are the buses, logistics, Ro-ros and inter-island shipping companies.
YGC also participated in PPP projects covering toll roads and bridges and rail extension.
We also help small and medium enterprises and we are focused on assisting them now and in the years to come.
Another sector that RCBC helps is commerce. We are in the distribution of various goods, food, toiletries, cosmetics, and fuel.
house of investments
House of Investments was created even before the investment banking law was passed.
We started by investing in a variety of enterprises such as consumer finance, cement, PLDT, logging, industrial estates, construction, equipment leasing, pharmaceutical, automotive and trucks.
We invested in renewable energy, too. These include geothermal, solar and wind.
We also invested in agriculture in Mindanao, particularly in Dole.
Education
For education, we are behind the Mapua Institute of Technology, which is now Mapua University and Malayan Colleges.
We also contributed to De La Salle University-Manila the ETY Building for classrooms and offices and the creation of the Y Center for Policy Studies.
community assistance
In community assistance, YGC supports various activities through the Alfonso Yuchengco Foundation, which is funded by the YGC companies. The foundation is involved in various activities such as:
education – Scholarships at different colleges and universities and sponsorship of the discipline awards;
health – Conduct of medical and dental missions to remote places and also assisted some clinics and the PGH Children Cancer Ward;
Disaster relief – Provision of food and water, clothing, tools and implements, medicine, housing materials, boats.
community service – Sponsor the St. Teresa Award for exemplary service to community;
heritage – We supported a museum on Philippine-Chinese history and artwork. The museum also accepts exhibits like maps, tapestry paper works, regional arts facts; government service of Amb. A. T. Yuchengco, as Ambassador to China, Japan and United Nations.
PHILIPPINE STAR: What does the Yuchengco Group want to see or dream for this nation?
YGC assists in sustaining the growth of the Philippine economy so we can attain a higher middle-income category.
education, family planning
YGC supports the Philippine effort to implement family planning and at the same time improve educational facilities and instruction to achieve higher levels of skills.
healthcare
Good health practices and care must be available universally so the Philippines may enjoy the benefit of having a young and capable population as compared with the aging population of other countries.
catalyst
We must be welcoming to foreign investors so we can produce or manufacture more products for domestic consumption and for export.
The YGC is the first Filipino-Chinese company to enter into joint ventures with foreign companies.
poverty reduction
We want to reduce poverty by employing more people in various agricultural, industrial, commercial and tourism, and public works projects. We are concentrating on helping SMEs because they energize many elements of our economy.
Future projects
YGC will increase its capital and resources to match the demand for future development.
We are making many different efforts to be more inclusive in financing people’s needs.
Housing finance is still a major segment. We have ePiso, sachet financing, and electronic and mobile devices that can facilitate remittances and payments.
We will provide them with good employable senior high and college graduates. We also hire and train people so they can assume greater management responsibilities. We shall provide increased capacities of renewable energy to the extent feasible.
We shall continue to provide working capital for various business needs. Our investment house capabilities can assist in raising capital in the equity or bond markets here and abroad in partnership with other institutions.