Makati Development Corporation (MDC) was recently lauded in the 2024 Ayala Innovation Excellence Awards (AIXA) held last November 28, 2024 in Makati City. MDC’s “Catalyzing Green Construction” and “Project KaAgaPay” programs were among this year’s Innovation Excellence grand winners, signifying that the two best-in-class programs have excellently addressed stakeholder needs in a differentiated and impactful manner. In addition, Project KaAgaPay took home a Special Award for Synergy, highlighting how it harnessed the capabilities of fellow Ayala company BPI to overcome business challenges and create meaningful change.
 
The awards were presented by Ayala Corporation Director Fernando Zobel de Ayala and Ayala Innovation Head Vince Tobias to members of the respective winning teams, accompanied by Ayala Land President and CEO Meean Dy, MDC President and CEO Dan Abando, MDC COO Robert Baffrey, and the MDC Management Committee. Winners were selected through a rigorous judging process including an initial screening by ALI’s AIXA Committee and a live pitch with Ayala Corporation’s Innovation Panel.

Helping vendor partners succeed through Project KaAgaPay
Our partners’ success is pivotal to Ayala Land (ALI) and MDC’s growth and success. We rely on our vendors to deliver projects to our customers aligned with our safety, quality, timely delivery, cost efficiency, and sustainability targets. Project KaAgaPay was born out of MDC’s intentions to mitigate vendor failure and help vendors address construction capital cost and cash flow issues, vendor financial strain, and avoid experiencing stringent traditional financing processes from banks. MDC’s KaAgaPay Vendor Financing Program (VFP) is an in-house early payment financial solution anchored on a digital platform that will allow our vendors to enjoy early cash access at zero collateral, reduced charges, and lower risks. The innovation was created in collaboration with BPI.

“Three months since KaAgaPay’s launch, over 80 requests from vendors were received and approved, which supported around 4,000 family members. For BPI, KaAgaPay provides a secure revenue base of more than a thousand new customers which will translate to additional steady low-risk revenue streams.” – MDC CFO and CFPG Head, Malou Chiong

“We realized that capitalizing on our shared vision and synergies within the Ayala ecosystem will lead to breakthroughs that will benefit our business ecosystem. Vendors can improve their financial position, resulting in the timely delivery of projects.” – MDC Chief Supply Chain Officer, Johnson Platero
 
Catalyzing Green Construction in the industry through a bespoke Sustainability Framework
With the construction industry being one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, MDC is leveraging its position as one of the largest construction firms in the Philippines to pioneer and promote green construction. Through a bespoke framework tackling a reinvention of business-as-usual practices, MDC is mobilizing its entire ecosystem of employees, workers, business partners, and even future members of the organization such as graduating students, to embrace responsible construction practices through five focus areas.

“It’s about starting somewhere and getting that proof of concept. It’s about the MDC community finding that culture of caring, doing things sincerely for the environment, and ensuring that we continue to build places that people love. Wherein people that live in the places can genuinely say that this was built the right way.” – MDC COO Boogz Baffrey
 
“Through this framework, we will significantly reduce emissions and scale-up sustainability initiatives with high-impact results. We will maximize the use of renewable energy, establish our fleet of electric transport vehicles and equipment, use eco-friendly materials, institutionalize sustainable construction methods, and reinforce our advocacy for green building certification.” – Architectural and Engineering Head, Jeremy Acosta