Ayala Group of Companies Launch Disaster Support App

The Ayala Group of Companies has launched a mobile-based system for emergencies and disasters to ensure a unified, systematic, and efficient response plan for its thousands of employees.

Called ASSIST (Ayala Sign-In System for Immediate Support and Tracking), the mobile app for Android and IOS was developed by Yondu, a wholly-owned IT outsourcing and mobile services subsidiary of Globe Telecom, to allow companies to track their employees during disasters and provide assistance, if necessary.

“CEOs of the Ayala Group of Companies have lent our time and effort to many national initiatives with respect to potential disasters this country would face. But we cannot be involved in helping the country if we haven’t organized ourselves. It is a new reality that disasters would be part of our lives in the Philippines. The most intelligent thing we can do is to prepare for it,” said Ayala Corporation Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II during the launch of ASSIST at The Globe Tower in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

He added: “When disasters happen, most of us are responsible to a whole range of different services that the public would require. But how can we give those services if our employees are in danger. It is our job to first and foremost help our employees. It is very hard for us to fulfill public or national service in times of emergency if our mind is elsewhere with worry about our position, our families, our situation.”

Through ASSIST, employees can immediately report their status and location as well as request for help. They can also receive broadcast alerts, disaster-related information, and details of preparatory activities from the ASSIST Command Center. At the same time, contact information of critical lifelines are made available for easy access while an Information Hub gathers related feeds from Twitter to inform everyone on activities of government agencies.

Eventually, the app would be made available as a source of help in extreme emergency even outside of a national disaster environment.

ASSIST is part of Aksyon Klima, a business recommendation for the Ayala Group Disaster Risk and Response Plan initiated by Ayala Corporation together with BPI Globe BanKO in response to issues on unsystematic recovery efforts and scarcity of resources experienced during the wide scale relief and rescue operations following the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan almost two years ago.

To address the situation, the Ayala Group of Companies, through Ayala Corporation, came up with a three-pronged strategy designed to enable a systematic and efficient plan for the group. First is to standardize systems, procedures and policies, ensure proper training and preparedness among employees, and assure organized and well-planned disaster relief and recovery operations. Second approach is to ensure involvement, representation and participation of all companies as well as establish a command chain for easier decision-making. The third strategy is the creation of ASSIST as an alert warning app that will serve as a crowdsourcing tool and information hub.

For its initial phase, ASSIST may already be used by all regular employees of the following organizations: AC Energy and Infra Group; Ayala Theaters Management, Inc.; Ayala Land Sales, Inc.; Aprisa Business Process Solutions, Inc.; Globe Telecom, Ayala Foundation, Inc.; Ayala Corporation; AC Automotive Business Sservices; ACEI-Volkswagen; Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp.; AMAIA Land Corp.; Ayala Property Management Corporation; Avida Land; Cebu Holdings, Inc.; Honda Cars; Philippine Integrated Energy Solutions, Inc.; Isuzu Cebu Inc.; Makati Development Corporation; MDC Buildplus, Inc.; MDC Conqrete Inc.; MDC Equipment Solutions Inc.; Ayala Land International Sales, Inc.; Amicassa Process Solutions, Inc.; El Nido Resorts; and SEDA Hotels.