How M&M got together

A few years back, Manulife Phils. vice-president for marketing Jose Ma. Ignacio experienced first-hand how child-unfriendly some hospitals can be.

His son got confined during the rash of dengue cases.

"Imagine a three-year-old boy being stuck with needles for intravenous treatment. Hospital experience was already traumatic in itself. The ambiance seemed to breed a more foreboding atmosphere," he said.

To entertain his son, Ignacio tried to look for a play area in the hospital or a place to borrow books and a toy or two. There were none. He immediately went home and brought a trunk-load of stuff, feeling immensely blessed he could do just that. The rest of the patients were mostly in charity, with parents barely having the means to liven up their hospital stay.

Soon, Ignacio was trying to sell the idea of directing some of Manulife’s corporate citizenship fund to set up play areas in children’s hospitals. A colleague mentioned the work of Migi’s Corner Foundation founder, Cathy Guballa.

Guballa was setting up such play areas in memory of her son, who died of a congenital heart disease in 1999. She established the first Migi’s Corner in February 2000, using donated toys, books, and play equipment like kiddie slides and swings.

Ignacio traced Guballa and, recognizing her as a batch-mate in college, worked to bring Manulife Phils and Migi’s Corner together. "It’s sort of like M&M," he said.

Except for the first Migi’s Corner, Manulife has funded the construction of all outlets, bringing enormous cheer to sick children and hope to their parents. Private individuals donate directly to Guballa for toys, books, video equipment, and even personal computers.

There are now five Migi’s Corners, one Migi’s Room, and two Migi’s Gardens, depending on the kind of space the respective hospitals have provided.

Global effort

Manulife Phils. receives its budget for corporate citizenship directly from its head office in Toronto, part of Manulife Financial’s global effort to reach out to the communities it serves. Manulife Financial, a leading Canadian-based financial services group, operates in 15 countries and territories with Can$139.2 billion of funds under management as of Sept. 30, 2002.

The culture of corporate social responsibility is very strong in Manulife Financial, something its Philippine operation is doing its best to live up to. A report on Manulife Financial’s community-based projects in its 2001 Corporate Giving Annual Report shows how the company and its employees support a broad range of causes from health research and educational programs to safety campaigns and volunteerism.

"In Manulife Phils., the employees and financial consultants are involved in our efforts to make life a little better for others. Our human resources group organizes events to bring them closer to the communities we serve."

When the Migi’s Garden in the Philippine General Hospital was opened in 2001, over 30 volunteers flocked to the hospital and acted like a collective Santa Claus, bringing gifts to children in the pediatric ward.

Aside from Migi’s Corner, Manulife supports other charities such as Laura Vicuna, a shelter for abused children; Bahay Mapagmahal, a home for children with disabilities; Munting Bato, a foundation helping raise funds for the dialysis treatment of children; Ephpheta, a Jesuit organization for the blind; and Servants of Charity.

Manulife favors projects that help children. "Children are the hope of our future. We want to ensure a brighter tomorrow for them. We also want to find projects that are able to help as many children as we can with funds which can never be enough," said Ignacio.