Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), the country’s leading infrastructure investments company, represented by its Chief Finance, Risk, and Sustainability Officer Chaye A. Cabal-Revilla, joined the World Benchmarking Alliance’s (WBA) Allies’ Assembly 2022 as a speaker and panelist in Cape Town, South Africa.
At this global and multi-stakeholder panel discussion, as the representative from the business side, Cabal-Revilla shared MPIC’s sustainability journey of integrating a holistic approach to its core business strategies and its sustainability-linked advocacies to a multi-stakeholder group of over 100 delegates from local, regional, and international organizations.
“With our businesses providing essential services to the Filipinos, we recognize our responsibility to drive positive change and collective action to create pervasive impact. We are committed to bolster our sustainability efforts and be an instrument to our country’s sustainable development,” Cabal-Revilla emphasized.
MPIC was included early this year as part of the WBA’s SDG2000, the 2000 most influential companies that shape the future in relation to their contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SDG-Led Transformation: Closing the Accountability Gap
The World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) is an international not-for-profit organization working to build a movement to measure and incentivize business impact towards a sustainable future that works for everyone. They do so by developing free and publicly available benchmarks that compare the private sector’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These benchmarks inform and empower business leaders and investors, as well as governments, civil society, and other key stakeholders. Every January since 2020, the WBA publishes the SDG2000 list, which outlines the 2000 companies that have the most influence in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs. Through this, WBA’s insights and data serve as an accountability mechanism, incentivizing companies to become a successful driver of change and deliver on the SDGs. Together with their 300+ global and multi-stakeholder Alliance, they are building a movement that enables transparent dialogue, and ultimately action towards a more inclusive, fair, and sustainable world.
The Allies Assembly is their annual gathering to bring this international community together to reflect on learnings and challenges; engage multi-stakeholders within and beyond the network to raise ambition and create impact on the ground for the evolution of this movement for business action towards the global goals. The 2022 Assembly was built on the theme of “Community Building”, with an aim to inspire global and diverse partnerships to drive collective action on sustainable development.
At the plenary, with four other notable speakers including Western Cape Education Department Deputy Director General Haroon Mohamed, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa Sebastiaan Messerschmidt, Senior Programmes Coordinator Joseph Eliabson from African Monitor, and WBA’s Executive Director Gerbrand Haverkamp, Cabal-Revilla delved into how MPIC is fulfilling its key role in contributing to collective action aligned with global benchmarks.
The plenary session highlighted dialogue between speakers from various backgrounds on how to shape and influence corporate accountability for the SDGs, answering the key learning question on how to use the power of collective action and data to close the accountability gap urgently on the global agenda with business, financial institutions, civil society, NGOs, industry associations, government, academia, and all other stakeholders.
“We were delighted to have MPIC represent the business voice in the panel, and to hear how the company has embraced ‘EESG’ and are encouraging other companies to adopt a similar holistic approach. This was a wonderful illustration of the capacity of an SDG2000 company to really enable systems transformation. It was clear to our audience that through making sustainability the centre of MPIC’s core business models, the company is making a concrete difference locally in the Philippines, but also elsewhere. The leadership and actions taken by MPIC really showed us that business can be such a powerful lever for change” said Pauliina Murphy, Engagement Director at the World Benchmarking Alliance.
The Urban System Transformation Benchmark
Beyond the speakership, she also attended a session on the development of a framework and methodology for the WBA’s urban system transformation benchmark, which is intended to measure the progress of the world’s keystone companies working in the field of urban development in terms of their contribution to SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.
With MPIC and the entire Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) Group of Companies pivoting towards being the largest catalyst for sustainability in the country, the company’s involvement in shaping the urban system transformation benchmark solidifies its role as a key driver of ESG in the Philippines. It also emphasizes MPIC’s role in making the country resilient and sustainable – aligned with its mission to contribute to national progress and uplift the lives of all Filipinos.
“We at MPIC are driven by our objective of creating a better future for our entire country. Championing sustainability is a major factor to achieve that goal. Our involvement in integral conversations with like-minded global organizations ensures that our work is guided by a worldwide perspective that envisions transformative and positive change for all,” said MPIC Chairman, President, and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.
MPIC’s participation in the WBA is aligned with the Group’s efforts to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities and 17 Partnerships for the Goals.
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