Metro Pacific Investments : MPIC, ACB Forge Partnership for Biodiversity Conservation

MPIC, ACB Forge Partnership for Biodiversity Conservation

Makati, Philippines, 15th February 2022 - Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), the country's leading infrastructure investment company and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) have signed an agreement to collaborate towards biodiversity conservation, social development, and nature-based solutions in the ASEAN following the triple bottomline approach.

MPIC and ACB will provide the needed support for each other's initiatives and promote the importance of mainstreaming biodiversity in core business processes. The partnership aims to implement joint programs that communicate the values of biodiversity and ecosystem restoration.

"MPIC has always strived to go beyond providing essential services, purposefully operating our businesses with the future of both our people and our planet in mind," says MPIC Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan. "We acknowledge that this goal is more within reach if we have partners like ACB who share our principles and our passion to put them into action."

Meaningful Partners in Conservation

ACB, an intergovernmental regional center with a commitment towards conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, engages the private and various other sectors in the ASEAN in promoting collaboration among the ASEAN Member States (AMS). It plays a valuable role specifically in policy development and coordination, human and institutional capacity development, knowledge management, and strategic communication, education, and public awareness on the value of biodiversity in business and finance.

The partnership underscores MPIC and ACB's reputable credibility in championing biodiversity conservation in the ASEAN. Through this collaboration, both parties will zero in on protecting and restoring ecosystems, enhancing synergies to address deforestation and forest degradation, strengthening support for the conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity, promoting the value of the ASEAN region's natural capital and advancing transformative change towards a circular economy, and enhancing investments and nature-positive contributions to biodiversity as a fundamental component of pandemic recovery and prevention.

"This partnership is a timely contribution to the call to forge and strengthen collaborations with the business sector, at the time when the world continues to discuss important steps towards living in harmony with nature through the post-2020 global biodiversity framework," says ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim. "We thank the MPIC for recognizing that indeed, biodiversity is everyone's business, and that we are all part of the solution."

Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), both MPIC and ACB have determined areas of collaboration that each can beef up with the required help and support, including efforts such as the ASEAN Green Initiative, business and biodiversity dialogues, and the ASEAN Biodiversity Heroes Program. ACB will likewise integrate its expertise to aid Metro Pacific Investments Foundation's (MPIF) interventions for the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan through its environmental flagship program, Shore It Up! (SIU).

"Through this collaborative effort, MPIC is determined to be ACB's ally in protecting our natural ecosystems not only in the Philippines, but the entire Southeast Asia," says MPIC Chief Finance, Risk, and Sustainability Officer Chaye A. Cabal-Revilla. "Together, we can create a wave of purpose that takes us one step closer to securing a sustainable and resilient future for us all."

The partnership with ACB is aligned with MPIC's efforts to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly 13: Climate Action and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. The collaboration also intends to bolster programs under MVP's Gabay Advocacies for a Sustainable Philippines - primarily Gabay Kalikasan.

About MPIC

MPIC is a leading infrastructure investment company with holdings in Manila Electric Company, Maynilad Water Services, Inc., MetroPac Water Investments Corporation, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc., Light Rail Manila Corporation and mWell PH.

The Company seeks to create long-term value for all its stakeholders through responsible and sustainable investments that contribute to national progress and improve the quality of life in the communities it serves.

MPIC and its group of companies are making a difference in the lives of millions of Filipinos, powering commerce and households, connecting people and places, delivering clean and safe water, and making world-class healthcare available to all.

BACK TO NEWS