BIZ BUZZ: Ayala, MVP unite for sports
Sports has always been the one of the rare things that seem to unite Filipinos, with Filipino pride always winning against all odds, no matter the result of a match.
And it’s not just ordinary Filipinos—it’s the business tycoons, too.
The Zobel family and billionaire Manuel V. Pangilinan recently joined hands to support Filipino athletes through a memorandum of understanding between Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) and MVP Sports Foundation Inc. (MVPSF).
“Right now, our next world champions could be anywhere in the Philippines, dreaming about their first international match but finding themselves with limited or even no opportunities to compete,” Ayala Corp. chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said on Tuesday.
For MVPSF chair Pangilinan, sports is a metaphor for life. “The kind of virtues and qualities you need in sports are the same ones you need in life: hard work, discipline, focus, resilience.”
Under their agreement, AFI’s sports development arm, Atletang Ayala, and MVPSF will “provide comprehensive support to Filipino athletes” and collaborate to “establish sustainable pathways for athlete discovery and development.”
They vowed to “jointly engage” government partners for sports development.
Both tycoons are quick on their feet. Their first order of business together is the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge happening on Sept. 20 and 21 at Ayala Triangle, featuring no less than champion pole vaulter EJ Obiena.
Another win for Filipino athletes!
