Project Balik Buhay chairman Edmun Liu (Photo by Minerva Newman)
CEBU CITY – A private sector representative to the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center (VVOC) on Monday hailed Cebu business community’s strong support to the national vaccination program, as some hospitals and establishments offered to be venues for mass inoculation.
Edmun Liu, chairman of the Project Balik Buhay, said 15 business establishments such as malls and trading outfits with bigger areas, along with six private hospitals in Metro Cebu, have offered their spaces for mass vaccination.
“We, in PBB, the private sector we are doing this mainly because it was initiated by Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino. He was the one who brought the idea that while we have a national vaccination program but it has to be in partnership with the government. We are all Filipinos, we need to help. I am thankful to our colleagues in the private sector for they are very willing to help,” Liu told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.
Dino is the head of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas responsible for bringing together the public and private sector to plot approaches in fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Liu said private companies are also asked to submit the names of their employees who belong to the priority sector as identified under the national prioritization framework of the National Task Force against Covid-19 and are willing to be inoculated with any available vaccines.
“We also try to encourage them to submit their company registration details and their TIN (tax identification number). The other document that they need to submit is the statement of management responsibility (SMR) stating that their master list is accurate as prepared by their HR (human resource) department,” he said.
Each company’s HR office, he said, needs to ensure that the names of their employees have not been listed in other instrumentalities.
Liu said the documents will be submitted to the local government units (LGUs) where the company is situated for verification.
The companies should also ensure that each name on the master list has consented to be inoculated and agree to share their personal information details to the Department of Health (DOH) and the LGUs.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH-Central Visayas chief pathologist, said in her daily briefing at the VVOC that there are a total of 350 companies who have submitted the names of their employees for the mass vaccination.
Of the number as of April 9 list, she said, 160 are companies registered in this capital city, 118 in Mandaue City, 22 in Talisay City, 13 in Minglanilla, seven in Consolacion, and 22 in some other areas in Cebu province.
The companies in Metro Cebu are given only until April 30 to submit to the Project Balik Buhay the master list of employees willing to be vaccinated. (PNA)
