Project Ugnayan: Feeding Manila's Hungry During the Covid-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, the Philippines government announced the first month-long lockdown in Manila and its surrounding regions to curb COVID-19 transmission. The lockdown measures, including the closure of non-essential businesses and stay-home orders, were sudden and drastic, leading to the urban poor's loss of employment and income. Putting food on the table would become a challenge in a city with millions living below the poverty threshold. But while their hunger would not wait, a new relief law needed time to take effect. That was when the private sector took immediate action. Responding to the hunger crisis was Project Ugnayan, a consortium including Ayala Corporation, one of the earliest conglomerates in the Philippines, together with some of the largest private companies and non-profit organisations such as The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) and Caritas Manila of the Catholic Church. In a record time of a few days, the private sector-led initiative raised over PhP 1.7 billion (US$33 million) that went into sponsoring a feeding programme for 2.8 million impoverished families (equivalent to some 14 million individuals). Over four weeks, Caritas Manila mobilised over 1,000 parish priests and 10,000 volunteers who went door-to-door distributing grocery vouchers, food packs, and in-kind donations in the Greater Manila Area. As Project Ugnayan ended, the team reflected on the meaningful and impactful contribution the initiative had made to the lives of the vulnerable poor during the tumultuous times of the pandemic. What lessons could be drawn from this collaborative effort of the private sector that can be replicated for future initiatives?

• Organizational structure and design
• Covid
• Crisis management
• Disaster response and recovery
• Operations and supply chain management