(First in a series)

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the worst in humanity, from people who panic-bought and cleaned out stores’ hand sanitizer and face mask shelves without care for the needs of others, to some privileged few who made tone-deaf posts on social media boasting about their lavish supermarket shopping habits.

Last Tuesday, an influencer was pilloried on Twitter after she posted an Instagram story cussing at the people in the news on her TV screen: the masses who had no choice but to step out of their homes despite the quarantine because they had to go to work or starve—if they don’t die of COVID-19 first.

The good thing about all this is that, the rich are not all crawling into the safety of their gilded bunkers. Some are still in touch with their humanity, and are doing their bit to help ease the blowback of the pandemic, even as commerce is at a near-standstill.

No better CSR (corporate social responsibility) and PR (public relations) move, deliberate or not.

 

Retail behemoth SM early on pledged P100 million to Philippine General Hospital, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and other government-run hospitals. A social media post by SM Supermalls president Steven Tan quotes SM Prime’s Hans Sy’s donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) to government hospitals.In the same post, it said SM has reached out to Manila Healthtek Inc. to distribute 20,000 COVID-19 tests to government hospitals “once approved for use.”

Brothers Jaime Augusto Zobel and Fernando Zobel of the Ayala group also released a statement saying they’ve allocated a P2.4 billion emergency package that covers “wages, bonuses, leave conversions and loan deferments” for their “extended workforce,” including P600 million in salary continuance for workers in the shuttered malls and construction sites.

Its subsidiary, Globe Telecoms, has also set aside P270 million for its staff and vendor partners. Other Ayala subsidiaries have earmarked P130 million in personnel-related support.

The Zobels also said they’re providing a “rent-free period” to tenants until April 14 while the malls are shuttered due to the pandemic, at a total cost of P1.4 billion.

Ayala employees will continue to receive salary at this time, the statement said.

The Gokongweis’ JG Summit has also pledged P100 million in the fight against COVID-19.

The Ramon Ang-led San Miguel Corp. vowed to use its Ginebra plant to produce disinfectant for COVID-19 front liners, and donate food to the poor communities as well as to health workers.

Meanwhile, beauty giants Belo Medical Group and Aivee Clinic both posted on social media that they’re distributing their own supplies of PPEs to hospital front liners that have been dealing with shortage.

 

Dr. Victoria “Vicki” Belo posted a statement that said her employees will continue to get their full salaries and benefits, early release of 13th month pay and a modified pay scheme, should the closure go beyond May.

 

Chipping in

Following the example of some selfless individuals who have been volunteering to feed health workers, smaller businesses are also chipping in, even as they’re also suffering losses. Among those reported by netizens as giving free food or coffee to COVID-19 front liners are Kanto Freestyle in Makati, Pino restaurant and Half Saints restaurant, both in Quezon City and the coffee chain Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

In global retail, luxury conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) on March 15 announced it would convert three of its perfume and cosmetics factories in France to make hand sanitizers for free distribution in French hospitals, amid the shortage.

LVMH makes fragrances and makeup for brands like Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy. It also gave $2.2 million to China in January at the start of the outbreak.

 

Miuccia Prada and her co-CEO husband Patrizio Bertelli donated full resuscitory and intensive care units to Milan hospitals. Italy is now the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe, with 31,506 cases and 2,503 deaths as of March 17.

Another Italian fashion giant, Giorgio Armani, has given 1.2 million euros to several Italian hospitals.

Donatella Versace and her daughter gave 200,000 euros to a Milan hospital, and one million RMB to China.

Shoe designer Sergio Rossi gave 100,000 euros to Milan hospitals, while jeweler Bulgari donated 100,000 euros to a Rome research institution.

Other conglomerates that gave to China’s fight against the virus are Richemont (Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels), 10 million RMB; Kering (Gucci, Saint Laurent), 7.5 million yuan; and Hermès, 5 million yuan.

These are some of the institutions and brands to remember when this crisis is over.

(To be continued this Sunday)