AMA International University W.L.L

Environmental & Social Review Summary

This Environmental and Social Review Summary is prepared and distributed in advance of the IFC Board of Directors’ consideration of the proposed transaction. Its purpose is to enhance the transparency of IFC’s activities, and this document should not be construed as presuming the outcome of the Board of Director’s decision. Board dates are estimates only.
Any documentation which is attached to this Environmental and Social Review Summary has been prepared by the project sponsor and authorization has been given for public release. IFC has reviewed this documentation and considers that it is of adequate quality to be released to the public but does not endorse the content.

Project number

29050

Country

Philippines

Region

Asia and the Pacific

Sector

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

Department

Reg Manufact, Agri & Services, ASIA

Company name

AMA International University W.L.L

Environmental category

Status

Pending Signing

Date ESRS disclosed	May 6, 2010
Last Updated Date	February 8, 2012
Previous Events	Approved: July 14, 2010

View Summary of Proposed Investment (SPI), click here

Overview

Category & Applicable Standards

Key Issues & Mitigation

Community Engagements

Client's Documentation

Overview of IFC's scope of review

The IFC Environmental and Social Review of AMA Computer Colleges (“AMACC” or the “Project”) of the AMAES/AMA Group of Companies (AMA Group) relied on:

interviews with key management personnel, including the AMAES corporate management team, AMACC contracted academic and non-academic staff, students and service providers at various campuses;
documents and reports made available by AMACC including requisite permits and written approvals, corporate (AMAES) policies and corporate and project-level human resource management documents, and;
site visits to the following project locations: (a) six AMACC campuses located in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Rizal, namely AMACC in Makati, Quezon City, Caloocan, Fairview, Pasig and East Rizal, and; (b) construction sites for new AMACC facilities in Fairview and East Rizal. Through these activities, an assessment was made of the effectiveness of the Company’s environmental and social management system for the proposed project and its ability to ensure and monitor compliance with major in-country regulatory requirements, IFC’s Performance Standards and relevant IFC Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines.

Project description

AMA Computer Colleges (the “AMACC” or the Project) is a member of the AMA Education System (AMAES) of the AMA Group of Companies. AMAES comprises several business lines delivering higher education in various disciplines including medicine, nursing, maritime studies and business administration. In addition AMAES also provides basic education and Computer Learning Centres opportunities. Typically the business lines and their constituent campuses are located in separate premises.

AMACC currently operates forty campuses in the Philippines located in Metro Manila (12), north Luzon (12), south Luzon (7), Visayas (5) and Mindanao (5). AMACC offers Bachelor of Science degree courses in information technology, computer science, computer engineering, electronics and communication engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, and business administration. The student body ranges in size from 168 through 6,200. The largest campuses are located in NCR, Cebu and Davao. Outside of these large urban centres individual campuses typically have a student body of less than 1,000 students. The total student body is over 46,000.

The majority of AMACC colleges are located in multi-storey buildings. AMACC holds the lease for the entire building and thereby assumes management responsibility for the premises for the majority of campuses. This similar arrangement applies for buildings that are owned by AMACC. In buildings where AMACC only leases a number of floors, e.g., malls, building maintenance is primarily the responsibility of the owner. Each campus comprises lecture rooms, computer laboratories, a science laboratory, a library, a canteen, health clinic, and various administration offices. Contracted services include security, catering, health, janitorial services and general maintenance. Electricity and water is derived from local providers.

IFC financing comprises a $35 million loan. Financing from IFC will support:
expansion and improvement of all of its 40 schools through capital expenditure and new equipment and capital expenditures in all of its 40 schools;
establishing permanent campuses for key branches outside Metro Manila, and;
refinancing of existing high interest loans with a longer maturity financing.

Identified applicable performance standards

While all Performance Standards are applicable to this investment, IFC’s environmental and social due diligence indicates that the investment will have impacts which must be managed in a manner consistent with the following Performance Standards:

While all Performance Standards are applicable to this investment, IFC’s environmental and social due diligence indicates that the investment will have impacts which must be managed in a manner consistent with the following Performance Standards:

- PS1: Social and Environmental Assessment and Management Systems
- PS2: Labour and Working Conditions
- PS3 Pollution Prevention and Abatement
- PS4 Community Health, Safety and Security
- PS5 Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement
Issues associated with the following PS were not considered material during the assessment of the project:
PS6: No evidence of adverse impacts to biodiversity or sustainable natural resource management from the company’s direct operations or supply chain exposures

PS7: No Indigenous People are known to have been in the area or affected by the project.

PS8: No evidence of the presence of or impact to locations associated with cultural heritage.

Environmental and social categorization and rationale

At a corporate level the key environmental and social issues have been identified as: (a) the existence of a Corporate level environmental and social management system (ESMS) framework, including
formalising the environmental and social assessment procedure within the land assessment and site selection process;
development of an environmental and social impact assessment program which includes a process to identify key impacts for the proposed developments and
development of management plans with appropriate mitigation measures and resources defined at the campus level; (b) life and fire safety (design of new buildings, assessment and retrofit of existing buildings) and; (c) contractor management during construction phase and management of contractors and other service providers during the operational phase.

As a result of its due diligence, IFC has concluded that the potential adverse environmental and social impacts presented by the project are relatively few in number, site-specific and have been or can be readily addressed through mitigation measures, as described in the following sections. It is therefore concluded that this is a Social and Environmental Category B project.

Key environmental and social issues and mitigation

PS1 Social and Environmental Assessment and Management System

Social and Environmental Assessment:

The Manual of Regulations for Private Higher Education (Commission of Higher Education 2008) outlines generic criteria for the identification and selection of suitable sites including total floor area required for occupancy at any one time, traffic, proximity to existing schools and location and distance from various types of establishments, e.g., dance halls, movie theatres, markets, bars, jails, cemeteries, garbage dumps and others. Within AMAES, the head of the business line together with the campus supervisor share responsibility for identification and evaluation of potential new sites. A third party is contracted to conduct the business and financial due diligence on the proposed site. Campus staff are responsible for approaching local government and relevant institutions to secure their support for the proposed location. Once a potential site has been accepted, the Corporate Planning Department reviews the proposal and where accepted the Board and Chairman agree to acquisition and development.

While AMAES has an established site identification, evaluation and due diligence process, AMAES will further develop the environmental and social aspects of this process, focusing on the identification of environmental and social criteria to be included in the due diligence process. Examples of these criteria will include ensuring that relevant permits and approval are in place, life and fire safety attributes (building design, equipment and processes for prevention, detection and response and relevant permitting/approvals), proximity of selected building to major roadways, traffic safety conditions, proximity to high voltage transmission line, presence of toxic and hazardous substance or facilities within 400 m to 500 m from the school, identification of all utilities on or adjacent to the site and the kV capacity of the utility (for provisions of electrical power), presence of high pressure gas lines and facilities that may emit hazardous air emissions, among others.

With regard to construction of new buildings, AMACC will, as a matter of practice, implement environmental and social assessments in accordance with the potential environmental and social impacts associated with its developments and meeting the requirements of the relevant local agencies and PS1.
The assessment will:
be implemented by a qualified person, and;
occur prior to development of project proposals, their submission to local authorities for permitting, and where relevant, awarding of contracts to contractors so as to ensure that necessary mitigations can be included in contractual requirements. Further the assessment will be of sufficient scope to meet IFC requirements including but not limited to:
site-specific pollution prevention and abatement screening,
community health, safety and security including traffic impacts and their management, structural and Life and Fire Safety compliance with established standards, (i.e., NFPA or equivalent); and
potential economic and physical displacement associated with land acquisition.

Management program: AMAES currently does not have an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS). Corporate management is responsible for the development of a broad range of corporate policies, guidelines, procedures and templates to address human resource management, contracting of goods and services and day-to-day campus operations. While this system appears to adequately address human resource management issues, gaps in the development of a general ESMS system together with development of campus-level management plans (including appropriate adequate monitoring and quality control/assurance) exist.

The ESMS gaps are illustrated by the types of environmental and safety permits and/or written approvals that need be obtained by AMACC (or to a lesser the owner of the leased property) to operate as a legal entity in Philippines are as follows: (i) Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of Philippines; (ii) Business Permit by to Operate by Office of the City Mayor; (iii) Certificate of Electrical Inspection; (iv) Certificate of Annual Inspection (Building fit for occupancy);(v) Sanitary Permit; and (vi)Fire Safety Inspection Permit. The six AMACC colleges and two construction sites visited during appraisal did not have a copy of the ECC and AMACC was unable to provide such copies at the time of assessment. Responses to survey questionnaire sent to all AMACC campuses also indicated non-compliance regarding requisite permits and approvals.
AMACC will ensure all colleges are equipped with the relevant permits and written approvals needed to operate in Philippines. As a condition of IFC’s disbursement, AMACC will ensure that all premises have

Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and
Business Permit by Office of the City Mayor/ Local Council. Other permits/approvals will be secured within 120 days of disbursement.

AMAES will develop a corporate Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) that outlines its policy, guidelines and procedures to identify and mitigate key impacts and risks and to manage key E&S aspects of campus operations (including electricity supply, water supply, solid waste disposal, effluent management, life and fire safety, and the delivery of services including security, catering, health, janitorial services and general maintenance). Subsequently campus-level management plans should be developed and training provided to the campus Facilities and Maintenance Supervisor. Appropriate environmental and social performance indicators should be defined to determine performance of AMAES’s operation. This will ensure compliance with the requirements of PS1.

Construction of new premises is outsourced to contractors. A review of bid documentation and sample contracts indicated no requirements addressing environmental performance. Site visits to construction sites indicated no procedure, for example, to address issues related to falling from heights, shoring of excavated site, and electrical safety. Construction workers were observed working on a 3-storey wooden platform with no safety harness. AMAES will ensure adequate E&S oversight and management on construction sites.

This will include:
inclusion of environmental, social and occupational health and safety requirements in bids and contract documentation, and
assignment of AMACC or independent third party E&S construction supervisors to ensure contractor compliance with required standards.

Organizational capacity: Corporate level management includes personnel responsible for managing the operational, academic, marketing, financial, and legal aspects of the Company. These personnel are responsible for the development and implementation of policies, guidelines and procedures that govern the day-to-day operations of all AMAES campuses.

Each campus is managed by a School Director who holds responsibility for management of day-to-day campus operations. The School Director is supported by various staff including an admissions officer, college dean, registrar, nurse, librarian, property custodian, finance officer, human resource supervisor and IT supervisor. For campuses with a student population greater than 2000, a Facilities and Maintenance Supervisor is also part of campus management team. In most of the colleges visited during the IFC assessment, it was noted that the School Director is also assigned as the Facilities and Maintenance Supervisor. The curriculum is delivered by academic staff. Contracted goods and services typically include the provision of security, catering, janitorial services, general maintenance and the supply of drinking water.

AMACC will recruit and train staff to adequately manage the environmental and social aspects of their operations. This will include:
recruitment of a qualified Facilities, Safety and Maintenance Manager to provide oversight to the E&S aspects of AMAES operations, and;
recruitment and training of qualified Facility Management Supervisor (FMS) for all AMA Computer Colleges [OR train current staff who are qualified to meet the requirements of the position].
Community Engagement: The School Director of each campus holds primary responsibility for engagement with local government and services with support being provided by the corporate head of the business line. Individual campuses are responsible for promotion (i.e., media) and outreach in support of enrolment while the corporate marketing department is responsible for more general marketing. Campuses also engage with communities through charitable activities (e.g., donation of computer equipment) and implementation of the obligatory National Services Training Program requiring coordination between the campus and local government to identify community welfare activities such as blood donations, relief operations, tree planting, and others in which students can participate.

PS2 Labour and Working Conditions

Organizational capacity

The various clusters/business lines that together comprise AMAES share a corporate organization that includes the Chairman, President, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and managers for the following departments – academic affairs, finance, treasury, planning, purchasing, property, auditing, human resources, information technology, marketing and administration. Each cluster/business line has area supervisors who assume responsibility for 13-15 campuses.

The total number of AMACC staff per campus range from 12-15 people although AMACC also execute contracts for janitorial services, catering, security and general maintenance. Currently the 41 AMACC campuses (including the AMACC university) employ 1,717 staff (826 male employees and 891 female employees) comprising 986 academic staff and 731 non-teaching staff and third party contractors (for functions such as security, janitorial services and maintenance). Human resources are managed at a corporate level.

Worker Welfare

Human resource management takes account of Philippine Labor Laws and the Commission of Higher Education Manual of Regulations for Private Higher Education (CHED 2008). AMAES has a human resources policy and manual that comply with the relevant regulatory requirements. Recruitment occurs on a semi-annual basis at a local level and involves the department head, dean and school director and campus human resource manager although final approval for recruitment is provided at the corporate level. The minimum employment age is 21 years. Child labor or forced labor is not allowed to be directly hired. The “Construction Agreement” reviewed did not indicate any minimum age of employment for construction workers. Nevertheless, no minors were observed at the two construction sites visited during appraisal.
All staff are offered a standard contract that includes position title and assignment, duration of contract and the employee salary and benefits (health care, insurance, social security). According to CHED regulations, academic staff are required to higher degree within three years of employment for them to be considered regular and thereby retained by the Company. During this period academic staff are thus considered to be probationary pending confirmation. Probation periods for non-academic staff are 3 months. Minimum salaries and wages for employees reflect or are higher than the minimum level specified in regulations issued by government. AMAES also benchmarks salary levels with competitors and within the industry on an annual basis. All employees receive an employee orientation during which the key aspects of the human resources policy and manual are discussed. Subsequently all staff are provided with access to an on-line Human Resources site. Campuses operate six days a week, from 8.00 to 21:00 during weekdays and a half-day on Saturday. Full time academic staff work 30 hours per week while full time non-academic staff work 44 hours per week.
A centralized grievance management system has been established. The system requires submission of written grievances to the corporate human resource department thereby setting off a process of verification and, where necessary, investigation prior to resolution.
With regard to freedom of association and collective bargaining, AMAES operates in compliance with the Manual of Regulations for Private Higher Education and Article 246 of the Labour Code. Nonetheless AMAES will develop a policy committing to compliance with requirements of Philippine Labour Code and IFC PS2 with regard to freedom of association and collective bargaining. This policy shall be included in the human resources manual and presented in staff training including staff induction.

Worker Health and Safety

Various types of chemicals, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), are used in the laboratories in the schools. Site visits to the schools indicated that the chemicals were not stored in proper conditions to prevent potential for spillage and fire hazards. For example, the flammable chemicals were not stored in a metal cabinet, were not segregated in terms of the hazard characteristics, and were not provided with containment to contain any spillage or leakage. No provision of hazard warning signage was available for the chemical/ fuel storage. The majority of laboratories visited did not have eye washes and emergency showers and first aid kits were not available. No system had been established for the safe disposal of empty containers. This is addressed in the ESAP attached to this document.
Campuses maintain small health clinics managed by a registered nurse. No accident or incident records were available for review during the site inspection.
PS3 Pollution Prevention and Abatement

Pollution Prevention, Resource Conservation, Energy Efficiency: Campus operations are associated with minimal pollution risks primarily associated with waste management including solid waste (including old computers, used chemical storage containers) and sanitary wastewater. No explicit consideration of resource conservation and energy efficiency measures has been integrated into school design. Both energy and water conservation measures should be included in future projects.

Main sources of air emissions at the AMACC campuses originate primarily from fossil-fuel combustion but also from various fugitive sources such as construction, laboratory operations and refrigeration system. Point-source emission comes from operating support utilities such as the generator sets for provision of back-up electricity in case of power disruptions from the main grid, and running of the diesel-run fire water pumps when needed. Indirect air emissions include commuting and generation of purchased electricity. Type of refrigeration material used is typically R-134a/ R-121 that is accepted in the Philippines.

Main source of effluent generated at AMACC campuses include sewerage discharges and effluent from cafeterias, laboratories and clinics. In Makati and Rizal campus specifically, storm water discharges may include fertilizers and pesticides from landscaping. In colleges that are located in multi-storey buildings, all discharge are directed to a septic tank that connects directly to the municipal sewerage system. In buildings that are leased, maintenance of the septic tanks are handled by the building owners while in buildings that are owned by AMACC, maintenance in done in-house, either by the property custodian, the Facility and Maintenance Supervisor or is contracted to a third party service provider. At the Makati Building that is owned by AMACC, sewage collected in an open septic tank is firstly treated with chlorine prior to discharge into the municipal treatment system. The sewage treatment system is located in a room at the basement that has a single mean of ingress and egress with strong odor detected due to lack of ventilation.

AMACC generates waste from a variety of activities such as laboratories and maintenance activities. Types of waste generated include used oil, oily rags, contaminated filters, expired or un-used chemicals and empty chemical containers that should be disposed in accordance to Philippines regulatory requirements for hazardous waste. Currently these hazardous waste identified are managed as general waste and not stored, handled and disposed in accordance to Philippines requirements for hazardous waste. Types of solid waste generated include used computer monitors and hard disk, metal scraps, used furniture and in colleges where there is on-going construction within the school yard, i.e., AMACC Rizal, there is generation of construction waste. Solid wastes are mainly collected by the municipal waste collection services. At the Quezon City AMA University, there is an existing program for waste segregation and re-cycling. Food waste generated from canteen or café are either brought back by the canteen/café operator or disposed as general waste through the municipal collection services. Janitorial services are contracted to third party service providers. AMACC will develop corporate policies, guideline and procedure for hazardous and solid waste management with a focus on expanding the existing waste recycling and re-use program throughout AMACC in Philippines.

In Philippines, bonded asbestos cement roof tile is typically used as roofing material in schools. Three out of the colleges surveyed via questionnaire indicated presence of bonded asbestos cement in either their roofing or ceiling material. Two colleges visited verified presence of bonded asbestos cement used as ceiling material. In any circumstances, if removal of the asbestos-containing material is needed, disposal should be done carefully in accordance to local regulations and should not pose a health effect to students, employees or workers present during the removal or disposal activities. Any presence of friable asbestos-containing material should be removed by qualified personnel to ensure no release of asbestos fibers to the ambient atmosphere. The FMS should be responsible to provide oversight of the removal and disposal process when the need arises. No asbestos-containing material was observed or reported to be in a condition that would require immediate removal.

Emergency Response: AMACC campuses do not have formal written emergency response procedures to address eventualities including medical emergencies, earthquake, and fire. Fire drill committees are only available at some colleges and based on feedbacks from questionnaires sent out to colleges not visited during the IFC assessment, one college identified (Dagupan City) has not conducted any fire drills since occupying the building in 1999. Frequency of the fire drills varies from one college to the other, ranging from twice a year, once a year and once in five years. Fire drills are normally conducted in collaboration with the Fire Department. Some students interviewed during the assessment indicated that they did not participate in recent fire drill conducted at the various colleges, with no repeat sessions organized for students, employees and workers that were not included in the original drill session. At all colleges inspected by IFC, the most updated emergency layout plan with details on exit routes were not displayed at each floor of the building while all means of egress were not consistently illuminated on all floors. At another building that the team visited, the alarm bell used for fire drills was not differentiated from the school bell. While fire drills are implemented, these drills are infrequent and cited evacuation times are long. Muster points are poorly defined. AMACC will develop a written emergency response procedure at the corporate level for all types of emergencies and ensure that all colleges implement requirements of the procedure which include drills at the requisite frequency.

PS4 Community Health, Safety and Security

As indicated under PS1, AMACC will ensure that the environmental and social assessment of potential sites including the assessment of relevant community health, safety and security measures, e.g., traffic impacts and their management.

Community Health

Each campus maintains a small, basic health clinic manned by a registered nurse. Clinics function as a first aid and rest and recuperation ward primarily addressing minor ailments, e.g., headaches and colds. AMACC will ensure periodic first aid training for various staff to ensure immediate and appropriate responses to accidents if and when they occur. Awareness on communicable diseases is provided on a regular basis at the colleges by in-house nurses or other methods of communication such as posters and notices.

Life and Fire Safety

AMACC campuses are multi-story buildings comprising lecture rooms, computer laboratories, a science laboratory, a library, a canteen, health clinic, and various administration offices. Site visits to several campuses in NCR demonstrated non-compliance with IFC L&FS guidelines and Philippines regulations for Fire Safety including availability of fire suppression equipment (fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, fire pumps, fire hydrant, pipe and hose system); emergency systems such as alarm and emergency lighting; compartmentation; specifications pertaining to means of egress (escape ladders, escape doors, illuminated staircase, exit passageway, material of construction for exit paths), availability of the most updated emergency response plan, handling of flammable and combustible materials, and storage of compressed gas. In most cases, it was observed that fire-extinguishers are expired and not placed on brackets or placed too high on the bracket; fire exit doors that terminate to an open area are typically locked or blocked; a number of buildings had fire exit stairways or platforms constructed out on flammable material (wood) and 1 building had an exit door that did not have sufficient headroom with a ceiling height of at least 2.3 meters. Not all fire doors were kept closed with the appropriate signages, and three of the six college visited did not have illuminated staircase or emergency lights that were functioning. One college was noted not to have fire alarm bell that can be distinguished from the school bell.

While some of the requisite L&FS system and equipment exist at AMACC campuses, a high number of the campuses do not have a program for maintenance of the fire suppression equipment and emergency systems in leased buildings that are fully occupied by AMACC and buildings that are owned by AMACC. It should be noted however, even with all of the non-compliances mentioned above, a majority of these buildings have received their annually renewed Fire Certificate with no or minimal requirements to improve building conditions on fire safety. In most cases, feedbacks are provided verbally by the Fire Department with the exception of one college in Dagupan City where there were written comments by the Fire Department on areas of improvements.

Compressed gas and flammable materials at AMACC were mainly noted at the chemical laboratories while combustible materials such as paper and unwanted wooden furniture were stored at warehouses or in dedicated store rooms. Halon 1301 is used as fire suppression material at computer labs or areas where electrical systems are kept or operated. While most colleges visited do maintain portable fire extinguishers in fully charged conditions, all colleges visited do not have a program to inspect the extinguishers on a scheduled basis with record of inspection kept for verification. At least three colleges visited had expired fire extinguishers placed in various areas throughout their building and fire extinguishers were not installed on brackets. Other observations include fire extinguishers that were obstructed and placed in areas that were not readily accessible.

The AMACCs are covered by a fire insurance scheme under the AMA Insurance and Reinsurance Brokerage (AMARE) for losses against danger by fire and lightning. Based on feedbacks provided by the AMA Insurance Group, the sum of coverage is based on fair market value and there are no pre-requisites for AMACC to be covered under the fire insurance coverage. There is no fire safety review done by the insurers prior to approving the insurance.

To address the deficiencies listed above, AMACC will conduct a Life and Fire Safety (L & FS) assessment of all campuses with the objective of identifying life threatening and critical deficiencies together with for corrective actions. Subject to a reasonableness test (risk reduction vs costs vs practicality), AMACC will implement all identified corrective actions in accordance with identified prioritization and schedule. As a condition of disbursement, key national environmental, health and safety and labor regulations needs to be prioritized for compliance and all relevant written approvals and permits should be obtained from State and Local Authorities for buildings to be acquired or already in operation as mentioned under Section PS1.

Going forward, for greenfield developments or major renovations of existing facilities, AMACC will commit to utilization of an international life and fire safety standard such as the NFPA or equivalent. At minimum, AMACC should be in compliance with the Fire Code of the Philippines (IRR of PD No. 1185), the Philippines Electrical Code that prescribes electrical safety standards and standards for grounding of electrical equipment together with the June 1992 Occupational, Safety and Health Standard that contains mandatory rules on fire protection and control. Where conflicting technical requirements between national standards and the agreed international requirements are identified, IFC will be informed of and provided with the opportunity to provide input prior to finalization of designs. In such cases, the presumption will be to use the highest standard that meets regulatory requirements. Major renovations will require an L&FS assessment and commitment to its implementation prior to renovation and operation. This will ensure the project meets the requirements of PS4 in this respect.

Contracted Services

In general there is limited definition of environmental and social standards for contracted services in bid documents and contracts.

AMACC campuses contract caterers to provide hot meals and dry goods to students. Discussions with caterers operating on the campuses visited during appraisal indicated that they had requisite permitting from relevant authorities. Food preparation is conducted off site and prepared meals are transported to site every day. Fresh meals are heated and served in food retainers. Students buying food are provided with plates and cutlery. Dishwashing occurs by hand. As part of the management program described under PS1, AMACC will establish formal procedures to assure consistency of adequate food hygiene standards.

AMACC contracts janitorial service companies to ensure that schools and component facilities are kept clean and hygienic. Inspections of toilets indicated that these were reasonably clean although discussions with college directors indicated that cleaning of these facilities was not scheduled on a regular basis. Older campus buildings appeared poorly maintained, e.g., loose electrical wires and taps.

AMACC contracts recognised security service providers to provide security for the campuses. In Metro Manila these services are provided by a sister company of the AMA Group while recognised security service providers are contracted in other locations throughout the Philippines. During the day unarmed guards are posted at the entrance (both external and internal) to the facility. At night armed guards are posted. AMACC will develop guidelines for the evaluation and selection of security providers and operation of security guards on AMACC premises.

PS5 Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement

The majority of AMACC campuses are rented buildings located on rented land. Initial leases must be 10 years in duration to meet the requirements of the Commission on Higher Education. Negotiations re: lease arrangements are conducted by the School Director, Area Supervisor and business line manager and the property owners.

More recently AMACC has increasingly sought to acquire land and construct its own facilities. Such land acquisition and development will occur in urban settings in major cities. While such settings are characterized by active land markets and pre-existing land use/development the possibility of some economic displacement, e.g., squatters, cannot be ruled out. Accordingly AMACC will develop a land acquisition and involuntary resettlement policy and protocol addressing potential economic displacement and physical displacement associated with all land acquisition.

Such a policy and protocol will require AMACC to:
develop a corporate position statement vis a vis land acquisition, compensation, and involuntary resettlement;
integrate evaluation of land acquisition processes (including compensation levels, the occurrence of economic and physical displacement in support of land acquisition and any residual claims and conflict over the land ) into land assessment procedure (ESAP#2), and;
a commitment to comply with the requirements of IFC PS 5 Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement where resettlement impacts are identified.

IFC PROJECTS

RECENTLY DISCLOSED