Protocol for a Pandemic
How do you feed 162,000 families in five days? Ambassador Marciano Paynor, Jr. finds a way
Words by JEM LANDONG
“We need it by Friday.”
It was a Monday. No deadline had ever seemed this impossible—and yet, so urgent—to meet. Ambassador Marciano Paynor, Jr. was meeting with officials of the Asian Development Bank. It was one of many discussions between Ayala and other stakeholders on how to deliver food to vulnerable communities after the lockdown was announced.
They had just five days to hurdle the logistical nightmare of finding, transporting, and distributing supplies to millions of families. Public transportation and businesses had temporarily closed, making it impossible to follow the usual protocols for relief operations.
Creating protocols
Amba, as Ambassador Marciano is fondly called, was there to create order in the chaos. He was a renowned “operations” man with an extensive network and experience in both government and corporate organizations.
The 71-year-old head of Ayala Corporation’s corporate support services unit previously served as Chief of Presidential Protocol under former presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was also a foreign service officer, who held various posts across the globe. After the meeting with officials of the Asian Development Bank, he relayed this mandate to the concerned public and private agencies. They outlined three main goals: 1) there should be continuous food supply; 2) there should be a way to deliver those supplies; and 3) the week’s food supply must be allocated to each household.
They knew what to do. The next question was, how could they do it? Who could help them do it?
#AyalaCitizen Diary: To bring food to the most vulnerable communities during the lockdown, Ambassador Marciano Paynor, Jr. applied his operations prowess to bring together the Asian Development Bank, Philippine Army, and the DSWD.
Mobilizing partners
Amba did not waste a minute. He mobilized his network, tapping the best people who could deliver the goals. He liaised with the Philippine Army and DSWD to operationalize ADB’s emergency food distribution program. ADB took the helm in procuring food suppliers, while the DSWD determined the content of food bags and identified the most vulnerable barangays. The Philippine Army was designated to pack and deliver the food bags, as well as secure the area of the select barangays. Megaworld Corporation and Ayala Foundation poured in additional funds to fulfill the project.
“They knew what to do. The next question was, how could they do it? Who could help them do it?”
Day in and day out, Amba kept his communication lines open. He constantly communicated with the core team to address the pile of concerns, often working past after office hours.
And the work paid off. The Bayan Bayanihan Program ran from March 31, 2020 to May 20, 2020, feeding 162,000 households in 50 vulnerable barangay communities. #
POSTED OCTOBER 23, 2020
