MANILA, Philippines—To some observers, Ayala Land Inc. -- the country's largest real estate developer -- may seem unmoved and unfazed by all the adverse publicity it has received in the wake of last year's Glorietta 2 blast.

The explosion, which claimed 11 lives and injured scores more a year ago, has put under the spotlight the business practices of one of the oldest conglomerates in the Philippines, which has long prided itself on being at the forefront of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.

For one, the company controlled by the Zobel family has, time and again, declined to provide complete details on just exactly what it has done and how much it has spent for the victims of the blast.

At best, Ayala Land has assured members of the media -- all on no direct attribution basis -- that it has gone “above and beyond what is required of it” in helping the relatives of the victims that perished.

At worst, the company has been deliberately vague about what it has done for them.

“We extended assistance to the victims through hospitalization, treatment, post-trauma counseling, and other financial assistance,” said Ayala Land spokesperson Jorge Marco in an e-mailed response to Philippine Daily Inquirer's queries. “We prefer not to discuss details of the financial assistance as this was requested by the victims and we would want to respect their privacy.”

According to informed sources, however, the company made sure that all the immediate relatives of those who perished as well as those who were injured would have “no financial burden” whatsoever.

“At the very least, Ayala Land paid P5 million to the families of each of the victims who died,” said one source familiar with the issue. Of this amount, P1 million came in the form of a cash settlement, while another P4 million came by way of a house and lot package given to the victims' relatives in an “Ayala development south of Metro Manila.”

The source explained that Ayala Land stayed mum about the settlement at the request of the victims themselves, many of whom did not want to be viewed negatively by neighbors in their new Ayala communities.

“They did not want their neighbors to (know) that they moved into the village only because they were victims,” the source said. “Some also did not want to be bothered if others would learn that they received cash settlements.”

The possibility of scholarship grants to the children of victims who would meet certain selection criteria was also discussed, he added.

He explained that the company had waived the standard practice of paying compensation based on a victim's age and income potential, and instead opted to grant everyone the same level of benefits.

“What Ayala gave was over the top, regardless of who they were,” he said.

On top of this, Ayala Land also spent anywhere from P50,000 to P200,000 for the hospitalization and medical expenses of each of the wounded victims.

Ayala's Marco, meanwhile, said that the company sometimes calls on some of the relatives of the victims “to see how they're doing,” but added that they have “mostly moved on.”

He said that the company held a special Mass on Friday with special intentions said for the victims.

“We're commemorating it quietly out of respect for the victims and their families who have their own plans for remembering the day,” he said.

Ayala Land has also improved safety procedures at its malls.

“Since last year we have increased the number of guards and cameras as well as the number of K9 [units] detailed at all our malls,” he said. “We continue to observe all safety procedures and apply best practices in ensuring safety in and around our malls.”

“We wish to assure the public that we will continue to adopt the latest state-of-the-art security equipment, measures and controls conforming to global standards at all our malls through Ayala Property Management Corp, which is triple ISO certified and which has won many awards on safety and environmental consciousness,” he added.

The nature of these improvements reflects the company's firm stand to this day that the tragedy was caused by a bomb, and not a gas explosion.