 |
| Allianz PNB Life Chief Marketing Officer Gino Riola delivers the keynote message during the opening session of the Zero Summit, emphasizing the importance of making sustainability a core business strategy. |
Food insecurity remains a pressing issue in the Philippines, with 27.2% of Filipinos experiencing involuntary hunger according to a Social Weather Stations survey conducted on March 15 to 25, 2025.
This contrasts with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 2024 Food Waste Index Report of 2.95 million tonnes a year, or 26 kilograms (kg) per capita of food waste in the Philippines. The Food Waste Index measures the amount of food and its inedible parts wasted in retail, food service, and households. The household sector worldwide accounted for 60% or 631 million tonnes of wasted food, followed by food service at 28% or 290 million tonnes, and retail at 12% or 131 million tonnes. This posts not only a challenge to overflowing landfills; the food waste materials also emit greenhouse gases that impact the environment.
Sustainable solutions to this inequity were discussed in the recent Zero Summit led by Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) Philippines, a food rescue and environment foundation that rescues good quality surplus food and makes these available to vulnerable communities.
Sustainability as a strategy
With its unwavering commitment to sustainability and social impact, Allianz PNB Life (AZPNBL) continues its partnership with SOS Food Rescue Philippines. Gino Riola, AZPNBL Chief Marketing Officer, delivered the keynote message during the Zero Summit opening session.
AZPNBL is committed to operating as a responsible business, taking into account the impact of its activities on people and the environment. In his talk, “Sustainability as a Strategy,” Riola focused on the importance of making sustainability the core of every enterprise.
He encouraged other business leaders to start with Purpose. “Sustainability strategies must be grounded in the company's core purpose and values,” he explained.
He added that it is also important to link the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework to the business goals. This echoes the ESG triple bottom line principle: People, Planet, Profit. “Sustainability must be integrated into the business model, he added. “It should not be mere optics. Hindi pwedeng puro palabas lang, dapat may balik din o clear connection to the organizations mission for it to be sustainable. Sayang ang effort kung hindi rin lang maipapagpatuloy.”
 |
| Allianz PNB Life Chief Marketing Officer Gino Riola joins fellow panelists at the Zero Summit to discuss sustainable solutions to food insecurity and food waste in the Philippines. |
Innovation and compassion
SOS Philippines Food Rescue Country General Manager Rachel Marie Q. Luna underscored the importance of partnerships in helping the advocacy reach more Filipinos in need. “It is in these partnerships that our mission is able to reach farther, respond faster and serve more communities.”
Luna proudly shared that through its partners and its food rescue ambassadors, it has already reached its year-to-date goal, with more than 2.5 million meals served. “At Scholars of Sustenance Philippines, we believe no one should go hungry while good food is being discarded. That is why we recover surplus and deliver it to those who need it most-creating a food system that is not only charitable but circular by design. One that transforms excess into access, waste into worth, and scarcity into shared abundance.”
“We are here today because of partners who help bring this vision to life-not just through generosity, but through action. Partners who give us the courage to move forward with quiet but steady confidence in tomorrow, and who show us that building harmony is more than an aspiration-it is something we can come home to.”
Since the launch of its partnership with SOS Philippines in 2023, AZPNBL has conducted food drives and volunteer activities among its employees, along with the donation of a truck that is used for food rescue missions. “We stand alongside those who believe that a better world is ours to make; that real, lasting impact grows from intention, care, and collaboration. And we are moved by those whose spirit to go further reminds us that progress happens when we push beyond limits and choose purpose, again and again,” Luna said.
The global focus of Allianz is on climate action. Riola said that this is reflected locally through Carbon footprint reduction initiatives in operations, its continued partnership with SOS Food Rescue Philippines, and the upcoming relocation to a certified green building in Makati. Riola adds, “Allianz is committed to sustainability—not just in protecting the future of its clients, but in ensuring the planet is ready for tomorrow.”
