THE Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry has signed an agreement with Quezon City to speed up the vaccination of 67,000 outsourcing workers based there.
Twenty-nine companies have registered their employees for access to coronavirus vaccines under a program offered by the Quezon City government.
“The local government unit (LGU) will facilitate and expedite the inoculation of qualified IT-BPM employees who report to offices located in Quezon City,” the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said in a statement Monday.
Healthcare workers from the participating firms could also volunteer to help inoculate colleagues.
“We hope that this will serve as a template for our ongoing efforts with other LGUs. Early access to the vaccine is really top-of-mind for our sector,” IBPAP President and Chief Executive Officer Rey E. Untal said.
Participating business groups include IBPAP, the Contact Center Association of the Philippines, and the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines.
The industry is procuring over a million doses of the AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Novovax vaccines for employees and their dependents. The vaccines will arrive in the latter part of the second quarter, IBPAP said.
BPO workers have also been placed in the A4 vaccination category on the priority list for publicly-procured vaccines.
Workers group BPO Industry Employees Network campaigned for the inclusion of outsourcing workers in the A4 priority list due to health risks taken by those working on site. — Jenina P. Ibañez