Ayala Corp. helps drug abusers in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines – Aside from being the country’s oldest conglomerate, Ayala Corp. is also helping drug abusers recover from their dependency as it partnered with the Marawi City government and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to build a rehabilitation facility in Lanao del Sur.

The project supports President Duterte’s war against illegal drugs that has already claimed more than 6,000 lives.

To be called Siyapen Center, the facility can accommodate at least 70 in-patients.

Siyapen, the Maranao word for “care,” provides a space that encourages physical wellness and social integration and is located within the community to allow drug dependents better access to family and other forms of social support, which are crucial to their recovery. The area also has a mosque nearby. 

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chairman and CEO of Ayala Corp. and co-chairman of Ayala Foundation, said the conglomerate has heeded the President’s call for businesses to do its share in solving the drug problem.

“The Siyapen Drug Rehabilitation Center is our way of addressing another challenge Mindanao faces and of responding to the national government’s call,” Zobel de Ayala said.

The Ayala Foundation will oversee the refurbishment of the structure, in keeping with the requirements of an efficient and humane drug rehabilitation facility. The Makati Development Corp., Ayala Land’s construction arm, will work on the facility from January to April.

Once completed, the facility will be turned over to the Marawi City government for operation.

“At Ayala, we have always believed that, whether in Mindanao or elsewhere in our archipelago, fostering inclusive development will always require collaboration between the government and the private sector,” Zobel de Ayala said. 

Ayala Foundation president Ruel Maranan said Siyapen would contribute significantly to the treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependents in the region.

“In building Siyapen, we hope to provide a space where person-centered recovery is made first priority, thereby paving the way for meaningful reintegration into society,” Maranan said.

In 2015, Ayala Foundation launched the Basilan Young Leaders Program-Leadership Communities, in partnership with the ARMM Office of the Regional Governor and the Eisenhower Fellows Association of the Philippines. 

It also brought Training Institute, a teacher-training program that works within the philosophy for children framework, to two public elementary schools in Basilan.