A top official of Transcom pledged today, February 4, to cooperate with the Bacolod City government to ensure that its employees and their families are shielded from COVID-19, and said the firm is contributing P.5 million to a quarantine facility in the city.
Mark Lyndsell, Transcom Global English Region chief executive officer, visited their Bacolod site that was shut down by the Bacolod City government late Monday for 48 hours after COVID-19 hit 41 of its employees.
“When the EOC (Bacolod Emergency Operations Center) attempted to gain entry to our site the first time our security guards refused entry because under our site protocols everybody must be tested, have an antigen test. In retrospect that was probably a bit naïve approach and it was not our purpose or intent to antagonize anybody from the local government…we have nothing to hide,” Lyndsell said.
He also said Transcom Bacolod was not enrolled in the Bacolod Contract Tracing (BaCTrac) system because they were not aware that it was a mandatory requirement, they were under the impression that it was voluntary.
Had they known it was mandatory it could have been in place, said Lyndsell, who assured that the BaCTrac system at their Bacolod site is now operational.
“Ignorance of the law excuses no one”, Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC deputy for medical data and analysis, said in reaction.
Transcom had a representative present at the EOC briefing on the BacTrac requirement in October, Sorongon said.
Companies must comply with the BaCTrac system because it is in the law, he does not believe that Transcom was not aware of it, Sorongon added.
He also pointed out that some Transcom employees even have BaCTrac IDs.
The Transcom officials met with the EOC cluster heads today who outlined health safety measures they need to undertake and will meet with Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia tomorrow, City Administrator Em Ang, Bacolod EOC executive director, said.
Ang said no close contacts of the 41 Transcom employees have tested positive for the virus. The super spreader of the virus was at their workplace, she said.
“We are taking responsibility for the lapses and we would like to make amends not only by collaborating closely with the city government but also by contributing to Bacolod City’s effort to care for its citizens who are afflicted with COVID-19,” Lyndsell said.
Transcom is donating P500,000 to the South Hills Quarantine Facility in Barangay Alijis to aid the recovery of COVID-19 patients in the city, he said.
“The recent incident of clustered COVID-19 cases which involved our colleagues in Bacolod is an utmost concern for me. I visited the site to personally ensure that proper protocols and measures are put in place to avoid lapses in safety and prevention and also to show my support to our Bacolod team,” Lyndsell said.
“I would like to show my appreciation to the EOC for their attention to the well-being of Transcom employees and we in the Transcom leadership team are more than willing to work alongside them in advancing efforts that will keep the wider community safe from COVID-19,” Lyndsell he added.
To advance the safety and wellbeing of all Transcom Bacolod onsite employees, all of them are now required to undergo antigen testing every seven days. Antigen tests yield faster results and detect proteins found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a Transcom press statement said.
Prior to the company’s rollout of antibody testing and antigen testing in 2020, common areas and workstations in Transcom facilities were already reconfigured to comply with the one-meter social distancing guidelines. Teleconsultations with health professionals were also made available to employees who are returning to the site or have not reported to the site for seven days, it said.
After a week since the RT-PCR test results on those who tested positive were released, Transcom increased its work at home operations in Bacolod from 75 percent to 95 percent, the statement added.
The company spent more than $7 million in 2020 alone to incorporate health and safety initiatives in daily business operations, Lyndsell said.
SIPALAY VISIT
Meanwhile, Ang said none of those on the list given to the EOC of Transcom employees who went to Sipalay City were among those who tested positive for the virus.
Outings are being discouraged because they are the cause of the spread of the virus, she said.
Last month some health workers went on an outing and when they returned some of them tested positive for COVID-19, she pointed said.
Transcom said it did not have any official activity outside its site and if a group of its employees went to Sipalay they were not aware of it.
Transcom does not allow any team building activities at this time, and “anybody that’s found to ignore both our advise and LGU guidelines will face disciplinary action.” Lyndsell said.*