MANILA, Philippines — Sports development needs constant and consistent support. In order to compete in the international arena, Filipino athletes undergo rigorous training that can often be draining physically, emotionally, and financially.
As an answer to the specific needs of world-class Filipino athletes, Ayala Corporation has launched the Atletang Ayala program, which aims to support Filipinos who excel in sports by providing them with access to the resources for training, along with a thriving professional career among its companies. “Through Atletang Ayala, the group aims to close the gap between these needs and the athletes’ goals of qualifying in international competitions. The program was also designed to provide them with holistic support in their athletic and post-athletic careers,” says Francisco Romero Milan, managing director and Corporate Resources Group head of Ayala Corporation.
Atletang Ayala is spearheaded by the Ayala Center for Excellence in Sports (ACES), which further strengthens the Ayala group’s commitment to nation-building through carefully designed sports programs.
In top form
There are eight Filipino national athletes who are currently part of the program, all committed to making the Philippines proud in the 32nd SEA Games, Asian Games, and 2024 Olympics: Jasmine Alkhaldi and Xiandi Chua for swimming; Andrea Robles, Pia Bidaure and Abby Bidaure for archery; Prince Alejo for karate; and Nathaniel Perez and Noelito Jose Jr. for fencing. According to Milan, they are currently assigned to different Ayala group business units, with full-time salaries and benefits like health insurance. They also have flexible work arrangements that allow them to continue training while working in the group.
When training for upcoming competitions, the athletes can use the facilities at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub (AVSH) — a national sports training center in Ayala Land’s Vermosa estate in Cavite for free. This includes conditioning and injury-prevention services offered by the Healthway Medical Network (HMN) of AC Health in partnership with Sante Fitness Lab.
In addition, athletes have preferential access to all HMN healthcare facilities, including QualiMed hospitals and Healthway clinics for all their medical, surgical and rehabilitation needs.
ACES also has a partnership with De La Salle University to provide the athletes free access to the university’s programs that have been pedagogically designed for their unique needs and schedules.
Milan adds, “Continuous improvements are being done so the athletes can have a more comfortable training experience, and this include completing the athletes’ dormitories this year and launching the Athletes’ Health program powered by Healthway Medical Network — a subsidiary of AC Health, the Ayala group’s healthcare arm.”
Team spirit
The athletes bring their A-game to the workplace as well, with values and discipline that they inculcate from engaging in sports. Andrea Robles is an employee engagement specialist at Globe Telecom, Pia Bidaure is a cadet engineer-in-training at energy platform ACEN while sister Abby is an HR associate-in-training at AC Motors. Jasmine Alkhaldi is an ACES program associate at Ayala Corporation and Xiandi Chua is a talent management staff under the Atletang Ayala Program at Integrated Micro- Electronics, Inc. Nathaniel “Nat” Perez is currently a management trainee at Ayala Multipurpose Cooperatives, Noelito Jose Jr. is now an HR employee engagement staff at AC Motors and Prince Alejo is a cadet engineer-in-training at ACEN.
Milan describes these individuals as passionate, resilient, and goal-oriented, with a good work ethic. “Their love and commitment to their sport shows how focused they can be on what they do, including their work in the group. Athletes are trained to be mentally tough and adaptable so they can withstand, overcome and recover from challenges they face in competition. To be a successful athlete also means training hard to hit their performance and competitive targets. They are open to being coached, and listen to constructive feedback at work so one can perform better.”
He adds that the Ayala group considers the athletes as valuable assets to the company and the country. “Their ability to work in synergy with their coaches and teammates, along with their work ethic, is crucial to our work culture. As national athletes, their dedication to excel in their sport continues to be a source of pride and hope to the Filipino community.”
Pinoy pride
Atletang Ayala athletes bagged awards at the recent Southeast Asian Games 2023 held in Cambodia. Setting a new SEAG record for women’s 200m backstroke, Xiandi Chua won gold. Bringing home their silver medals are Jasmine Alkhaldi for women’s 4x100m freestyle relay and women’s 4x100m medley relay, Xiandi for women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, and Noelito Jose Jr. for men’s individual epee. In Karate, Prince Alejo achieved 4th place for male individual Kumite in the 75kg category. While Nathan Perez placed 5th in fencing’s men’s individual foil.
Archers Andrea, Pia, and Abby also competed at the recent Philippine Archery Cup in Cebu. Andrea Robles won silver in Compound Archery, while sisters Pia and Abby Bidaure received gold and silver medals respectively in the Recurve event. Last May 15 to 19, Andrea also competed at the Archery World Cup in Shanghai.
True to the Ayala group’s aspiration to contribute to the country’s development, which has remained at Ayala’s core for 189 years, the group has been promoting sports excellence as part of its commitment to nation-building even before the Atletang Ayala program was established. Ayala has previously provided financial support to the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association to help facilitate and strengthen its recruitment and training programs.
According to Milan, Ayala is committed to helping our selected national athletes excel in their sport and boost national pride by providing for their underserved needs. “The group will continue to look for ways to support our national athletes to encourage more Filipinos to pursue their sports dreams. There are many aspiring national athletes who have a lot of potential to compete internationally when given the proper resources needed to up their game. Through the Atletang Ayala program, the Ayala group hopes to be able to address the athletes’ needs and encourage more athletes to pursue their sports goals.”