Sun Life, WFF tie up on food shed farming

Sun Life Financial-Philippines Foundation Inc.

ny became a strong player in the third-party delivery service industry after earning investment from the SM Investments Corp.-led logistics provider 2GO Group.

Despite economic turmoil due to the pandemic in October 2021, Mober made a significant stride toward growth and sustainability by being the first logistics company in the Philippines to introduce EVs to its fleet.

As a pioneer in the EV delivery space, Mober has facilitated the transition toward greener transport in the Philippines by providing an environment-friendly logistics option to big companies committed to achieving their net-zero goals.

Mober has added 16 electric vans and four electric trucks to its traditional fleet. It also plans to re-fleet around 180 of its gas-powered vans and trucks into electric vehicles by mid-2024.

With his experience as a serial entrepreneur and EY-trained auditor, Ng has led Mober to improve the company’s environmental impact and boost the country’s green logistics.

“As we aim to help more retail giants, big FMCGs, and logistics companies decarbonize their fleets quickly, we also want to inspire other local startups to jumpstart their sustainability journey and contribute to achieving a greener economy,” said Ng.

Mober teams up with big-name clients in various industries, including Ikea, SM Appliance Center, Rockwell Land, Nespresso and Red Ribbon Bakeshop.

“We are proud to be the go-to green+tech logistics provider in the Philippines by leveraging electric vehicles, utilizing technology to achieve efficiencies, and advocating for sustainability in the industry,” Ng added.

(Sun Life Foundation), the philanthropic arm of Sun Life Philippines, signed an agreement with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines to establish two Food Shed Farming Enterprise projects in the province of Surigao del Norte.

The projects seeks to provide food source and economic resiliency for low-income urban communities through food security, and sustainable livelihood among the locals.

The Food Shed Farming Enterprise projects aim to secure food and livelihoods as well as mitigate food shortages in the community by using sustainable agriculture interventions, increasing the capacity to utilize technology, and promoting climate-resilient and sustainable production systems that minimize the impact of the stresses that contribute to limited food accessibility.

“With this collaboration, we hope to further improve the resiliency of the food supply of communities, especially with the threats that

Sun Life Foundation officers hand over the giant check donation to World Wide Fund for the two ‘Food Shed Farming Enterprise’ projects during the signing of the memorandum of agreement on February 24, 2023 climate change poses to our food resources,” said Katherine Custodio, executive director of WWF.

Located in Del Carmen, Siargao Island, the Food Shed Farming Enterprise projects will be established in Barangay. Caub and Halian Island and are expected to benefit 250 individuals through sustainable livelihood, as well as provide almost 2,000 locals with access to hyperlocal nutritious food.

“Through this collaboration with WWF, the Sun Life Foundation aims to provide food security, sustainable livelihood, and climateadaptive technologies for the locals of the island in an environmentally sustainable manner,” says Kristine Dianne Millete, executive director of the Sun Life Foundation.

“It is our earnest hope that through this project, we can alleviate the effects of food shortages and help our farmers with alternative farming technologies that support food security even during times of pandemic,” Millete added.

This facility that SMC will build along West Avenue in Quezon City near MRT-7’s North EDSA Station will ensure that train services across the project’s alignment are efficient and on-schedule.

At the same time, a one-kilometer portion of West Avenue, between Examiner Street and EDSA—where the elevated turnback guideway will be built—will be redesigned to create wider pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes, at no cost to the local government.

The modal integration will help improve access to MRT-7 and support the local government’s broader effort to sustainable mobility and improved quality of life in the city.

“The construction of MRT-7’s turnback guideway at West Avenue presented an opportunity for us to help advance Mayor Joy Belmonte’s push for more and better active transport infrastructure in the city. Once completed, the new configuration of the road will feature wider pedestrian walkways, and bike lanes that will benefit more people,” SMC president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang said.

“We are grateful to the Quezon City government led by Mayor Joy Belmonte for the opportunity to contribute to the development of the city, especially in terms of transport infrastructure,” Ang said.

Mayor Belmonte, in a letter to Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista, gave the city government’s approval of the construction of the guideway, as well as the redevelopment of the area, as part of its various pursuits in improving roadways in the city.

“The Quezon City Government conveys its interest to undertake the implementation of the project using private funds from the MRT-7’s private partners. We note that it is in the best interest of the city given our numerous roadway improvement efforts,” Belmonte said.