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Friday, March 29, 2024

BPOs Urged to Strictly Observe Health Protocols

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Mayor Evelio Leonardia met with representatives of 13 business process outsourcing (BPO) companies in Bacolod City in a virtual meeting to assess their compliance with health protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“I hope that you are all strict enough to see to it that health protocols are properly followed,” Leonardia told the attending BPO representatives at the virtual meeting.

The meeting is part of the local government unit’s initiatives to fortify its coordination with members of the local private sector in curbing the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis.

Leonardia once again acknowledged the role that the BPO companies play in the local economy. In his previous speeches, the mayor dubbed the BPO industry as the “crown jewel” of Bacolod City.

“Over the years, we know how valuable you are. We know how much you contributed to Bacolod as a whole. You have made a very great impact to our local economy,” said Leonardia.

“But while we used to focused on economics before, what is now primordial is the health and safety of those in the industry. We want you safe over anything else,” he added.

According to the mayor, a team from the local government unit will make random visits to BPO workplaces to make sure they properly follow health protocols and to make assessments on how to improve their working arrangements amid the ongoing health crisis.

This plan, supported by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran who chairs the local IATF, was generally welcomed by the BPO companies. The Vice Mayor heads Task Force Disiplina.

The meeting was presided by City Administrator Em Ang. She asked the BPO representatives to share the measures that their respective companies have already taken.

WORK ARRANGEMENT

Almost all BPO firms in Bacolod have already adopted 50% to 80% work-from-home arrangements. These companies are those which have over 1,000 employees.

Meanwhile, a few small companies did not adopt work-from-home arrangements. These companies are those which only have 80 to 90 employees, allowing them to properly observe one-seat-apart workplace setup.

They reported that they have been conducting regular enhanced onsite disinfection since community quarantines started There are also physicians and nurses assigned on rotation.

The representatives also requested the city government to provide a list of areas under lockdown so that they can properly arrange working setups for their employees living in these areas.

REPORTING

Leonardia and Ang stressed the importance of real-time reporting of suspected COVID-19 patients working in the BPO industry.

“We start with people who are having symptoms of coronavirus. When you have employees showing those symptoms, report them right away [to the City Health Office],” said Ang.

“We have privacy issues but what is paramount is public health,” Ang stressed.

Councilor Cindy Rojas, chairman of the Action Team on Returning Residents, and Dr. Grace Tan of the City Health Office also attended the meeting.

Among the BPOs present were TelePerformance, iQor, Panasiatic, FGC Plus, TeleQuest, TeleTech, TransCom, Path Cutters, Focus Direct, HYBrain, ConCentrix, Ubiquity, and ARB.*

Meanwhile, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia will join an online consultative meeting of the Department of Health (DOH) with the top officials of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) today [August 13] from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The meeting will tackle three key discussions, such as (1) antigen tests, (2) pooled testing, and (3) data management protocols, in view of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis.

As DOH specified the top two (2) officials of the Leagues to attend, Leonardia and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte will represent the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), being the national president and executive vice president, respectively.

The Bacolod mayor is also the interim executive vice president of ULAP.

Other members of the ULAP National Executive Board expected to join are: Quirino Governor Dakila Carlos Cua – president; Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr. – chairman; Laguna Vice Governor Katherine Agapay – vice chairman; and Davao City Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang – secretary general.

ULAP is an umbrella organization of all 10 major leagues of local government units in the country, such as the LCP, League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), League of the Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), and Liga ng mga Barangay.

The consultation is among those set in the series of online meetings of ULAP officials on the pandemic. The latest one focused on concerns on the management of locally stranded individuals (LSIs).

That meeting was attended by more than 20 governors, 50 city and municipal mayors, and a hundred other local governments officials composed of vice governors, provincial board members, vice mayors, councilors and punong barangays.

(News and photo courtesy by Bacolod City PIO)

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