Ayala Coop Chairman J.P. Orbeta told Coop members, employees and guests that the dark two-year period when practically every gathering was curtailed because of the pandemic is over.
Speaking at the simple celebration that marked the Coop’s 27th anniversary at the Makati Sports Club, Orbeta cited the Coop’s resilience as he took note of its accomplishments despite the physical limitations that the pandemic brought to its operations as well as interpersonal activities.
“The Ayala Coop over the past two years has been an exemplar of an enterprise that has not only weathered the storm, but has in fact even thrived despite the constraints the pandemic has brought upon the whole world, and this in no small way is due to the resilience of its people – the people leading it, and making it serve the needs of its members, and no less than the members themselves, who have made the Coop their real, actual partners during a crisis of humongous proportions,” Orbeta told an audience that included 139 human resource and Coop representatives, Coop Board member Rhea Reyes and Corporate Secretary Atty. Paula Bautista Romero.
Orbeta thanked the Coop’s leaders, personnel and members for having been instrumental to the Coop’s continued success over the said difficult period, praising their continued hard work and support for the various programs and advocacies the Coop has implemented.
The event, its first since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, started with a thanksgiving mass officiated by Fr. Francisco Gringo Tagabi, RCJ. Also attending the program were members of the Coop’s various committees, Dea Afunggol, Bert Ramirez as well as representatives from the Coop’s partners, including Entrego, Landers Philippines and Anytime Fitness.
Service awardees
Orbeta, together with Coop General Manager Dina Orosa, later handed out service awards to five Coop personnel who have notched at least five years of service with the Coop over the last year, including Emily Montino of the Coop’s IT unit and Gemma Magalona of the Loans Department, both of whom have been with the Coop for 20 years.
Frances Joy de Asis of Treasury, who has served the Coop for 15 years, and two from the Accounting Department, Jolina Margallo and Arnel Balmes, both of whom have accumulated five years of service, were the others who notched their milestone in the past year with the Coop.
Six other service awardees from 2021, who did not get their award because of the Covid-19 restrictions, were also recognized by being handed their plaques by Orbeta and Ms. Orosa. They were led by Chief Finance Officer Jennifer Cura, who had completed 15 years of service along with Conrad Gasmin of the Loans Department and Jhona Contillo of Accounting.
The other service awardees from a year ago are Accounting’s Marlon Guzman, who had completed 10 years of service, and Lenny Sante-Arias of Finance Reporting and Analysis Planning, who had been with the Coop for five years.
Meanwhile, Elinor Abellare, the Collection Department Head, was also recognized for having completed 10 years with the Coop.
Coop Summit
Meanwhile Being held after the service awards was the traditional Coop Summit, a dialogue between HR representatives from the different Ayala Group subsidiaries and Coop representatives. The participants were divided into several discussion groups composed of the representatives from both sides to address issues concerning the Coop as well as possible improvements and innovations to better respond to the needs of the Coop’s members.
The whole-day activity culminated with a raffle.
