CENTURY PACIFIC Food, Inc. (CNPF) will provide free coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines for all its employees and will donate 5,000 doses to the government’s vaccination program.
In a regulatory filing on Wednesday, the listed food manufacturer said it had contracted close to 70,000 doses via tripartite agreements signed by the private sector, the national government, and vaccine manufacturers.
CNPF said free vaccines will also be given to the dependents of its employees. It will also provide assistance to key suppliers in order to ensure the health of their personnel.
“The vaccines shall be administered for free, on a voluntary basis, to all CNPF employees nationwide, and in full compliance with the Department of Health’s guidelines on the vaccination rollout,” the company said in the disclosure.
CNPF President and Chief Executive Officer Teodoro Alexander T. Po said the health and safety of workers are the company’s top priority, adding that its manufacturing facilities had maintained a 99.9% COVID-prevention rate with the strict implementation of health protocols.
“This has then enabled us to serve heightened consumer demand — undisrupted despite the surge — both domestically and abroad, in line with our goal of helping ensure food security especially to those who need it the most,” Mr. Po said in the disclosure.
“Keeping our employees safe and our factories productive will continue to strengthen our ability to provide affordable nutrition to our consumers,” he added.
CNPF said information and awareness initiatives within the organization aim to increase the vaccination rate and address employees’ vaccine hesitancy.
For 2020, the company posted a 24% increase in net income to P3.9 billion as revenues improved 19% to P48.3 billion year on year.
On Wednesday, shares of CNPF at the stock exchange improved 0.22% or four centavos to close at P18.54 apiece. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave