Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala says the problems of climate change and sustainability can only be addressed in the long game
I wasn’t expecting “Clark Kent” to join a group that was about to plant trees in Alaminos town in Laguna Province. But there he was, not in an office suit or in a Superman costume, but in simple workman’s jeans and white shirt, holding a tree sapling and ready to thrust it into the ground.
Wait a second. My eyes fooled me there. Of course, that wasn’t Henry Cavill of “Superman” fame. Gosh, it was the scion of one of the wealthiest and most powerful business clans in the country, none other than Jaime Alfonso E. Zobel de Ayala. The two were dead ringers, I swear. And despite one character anchored in cartoon dreams and fantasy and the other in corporate reality, there is still that intersect in terms of power and influence. Where one can level mountains with one hand, the other has the power to mobilize people and resources to create a forest from barren land.
It was quite symbolic that I would see this 32-year-young president of AC Motors in a grassy field and not in a boardroom. Jaime Alfonso is the son of Ayala Corp chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala. The Zobel de Ayalas—a family of Spanish and German descent but true-blue Pinoys at heart—are the founders of the P405-billion, nearly 200-year-old Ayala Corp. conglomerate. He’s a graduate of Harvard University and has an MBA in Columbia Business School.
From one Jaime to another, it would seem that Ayala Corp. is setting its sights on a future that is quite literally more down to earth. The younger Jaime certainly feels the gravity and the challenge of it.
Indeed, many solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems lie beneath our feet. That way forward is shared among the multitude of businesses and socio-civic organizations under Ayala Corp. The event that I attended the morning of Sept. 27 in Alaminos involved one of the brands under its automotive company AC Motors formally planting the 5,000th tree in its “ACRE Movement: A Gift of Tree” program. The program, which Honda AC Motors began in July last year, aims to plant 7,500 endemic and endangered trees such as Narra, Kamagong, Kalumpang, Banaba, Hauili, and Tagpong-gubat by the end of 2023. The working principle behind the program is that one tree is planted for every Honda vehicle sold from any of the 10 dealerships nationwide, thereby also making every buying customer a participant of the program.
Jaime, I observed, didn’t mind getting some mud on him. As we were about to proceed to the planting area, he removed the plastic protector covering his pants’ shins and his shoes, quipping that those parts were meant to be muddied on this occasion.
Today, with still around two-and-a-half months to the deadline, Honda AC Motors had already reached the 5,000th tree mark, and buying customer Jeffrey Ocampo and wife Romella were on hand to plant their tree themselves.
It was my first time speaking to Jaime Alfonso. The conversation lasted all of just seven minutes, but I already got revealing glimpses of a man that would perhaps lead the new-generation Ayala not just in its mobility business, but also in everything else.
He began by recalling his experience with last week’s smog that enveloped all of Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the south. “Last week made the worsening pollution problem a lot more real. I couldn’t take my daughter to soccer practice, which was cancelled because of the smog. Can you imagine another day that we have to go through that?”
He acknowledged that the transport sector has been among the major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, and that Ayala Corp needs to do something concrete to address this. He explained: “We need to come up with solutions to give people that right to that aspirational life, and transport is a big part of that solution. For me, it’s a big professional interest. How can we use resources in Ayala to help resolve that?”
He added: “When you look at the problem, 30 percent of all emissions comes from transport. The number of cars is growing every year. ICE (internal combustion engine) models are getting more aggressive. What are the things we can do to mitigate it over time?”
He went on to emphasize that Ayala intends to play an active role in providing solutions, not just in automotive distribution, but also in power generation. “Think of it like this: Not only with electric vehicles can the emissions drop if you start increasing such cars. Imagine also if you make the resource electricity much cheaper than fossil fuels. You’re not only solving emissions problems and mitigating that effect over time, but you’re making it affordable on a month to month basis.”
Sustainability as accountability
Jaime Alfonso also explained that “sustainability demonstrates accountability.”
“Sustainability is really important because it shows you are accountable not just to the shareholders, but more so to the communities and to the environment. At the end of the day, corporations should be thinking about not just their shareholders but all stakeholders.”
Finally, I asked him if he drove an EV. He said he was about to order a couple of EVs. “I already feel the high prices of fuel,” he laughed.
Wow. If even the wealthiest of families already feel the pinch of high fuel prices, what more us mere mortals?
But, as Jaime Alfonso explained, the problems of climate change and sustainability can only be addressed in the long game, and it would take every effort from every individual to make a collective global impact. Just like the ACRE Movement’s “Gift of Tree”, the balance of nature against the forces of people and profit will be regained one day, one tree, one act of kindness and sustainability at a time.
