Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’s leading carrier, rolled out last July 28 its vaccination program which will inoculate employees and their dependents, and third-party workers for free.
This is part of the Gokongwei Group’s COVID Protect Program which kicked off on July 6 with the vaccination of frontliners from Robinsons Retail.
The conglomerate-procured vaccines were administered to Cebu Pacific’s first batch of 300 employees at the airline’s headquarters in Pasay City. CEB expects to complete administration of first dose this August and fully vaccinate all employees and third party workers by October this year.
Prior to the COVID Protect, CEB has been championing vaccination, citing that the earliest vaccine is the best vaccine. Therefore, it forged partnerships with the Pasay local government unit (LGU) and the Project Balik-Buhay of Cebu, alongside LGU vaccination programs where employees reside.
To date, 51 percent of CEB’s total work force has been inoculated; while 58 percent of its flying pilots and crew have received their vaccine doses.
“Even before the pandemic, the safety and overall flight experience of our passengers have been topmost priorities. With the pandemic, now more than ever, health is of primordial concern. Rightfully so, we continue to ensure everyJuan will feel confident to fly with CEB thus our championing vaccination efforts not only for organic employees but also for dependents, and our third-party workers,” said Felix Lopez, Cebu Pacific Vice President for People Department.
The airline continues to intensify its safety drive to inspire passenger confidence as more Filipinos gear up for the easing of requirements and restrictions for air travel.
“We are thankful to the CEB management for always ensuring we fly safely amid this pandemic, so we can also make sure we deliver the best service to our passengers,” said Cebu Pacific pilot Capt. Joey Mananghaya.
The employee vaccination initiative is also in line with the airline company’s shared vision with Ingat Angat, a private-sector led campaign that promotes safety measures and vaccination to help foster a nationwide economic recovery.
As the campaign’s official airline partner, besides implementing stringent health protocols through its multi-layered approach and advocating vaccination and safe practices, Cebu Pacific has also transported millions of vaccine doses for the Filipino people. CEB has carried over 14 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from China to Manila, and over 4 million doses to 21 provinces to date.