The Vaccine Task Force (VTF) of the group of companies chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan shared that 98% of its nationwide workforce has been vaccinated against COVID-19, with over 60,000 company-procured Moderna jabs administered under its own MVP Group #WeGotYourVac Immunization Program by mid-December.
Inoculation of the Group’s registered dependents, household members, and extended workforce is also nearing completion. Vaccinations for employees’ registered 12 to 17-year-old dependents are also underway, with the MVP Group VTF closely monitoring government approval for the inoculation of 5 to 11-year-old minors by January 2022.
Booster vaccines
The MVP Group also began COVID-19 booster vaccinations for qualified non-medical employees and dependents this December. This followed booster inoculation of frontliners from the Group’s 18 hospitals under Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. (MPHHI), who were first to get COVID-19 jabs at the start of 2021.
Pilot booster vaccinations in MPHHI’s Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Manila on December 1, PLDT Sta. Ana on December 9, and Meralco Compound in Pasig on December 15 coincided with the Bayanihan, Bakunahan National Covid-19 Vaccination Days (NVD) of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and National Vaccines Operation Center.
Support for the government
Since protecting people outside of its companies is critical to help keep the economy afloat and social services undisrupted, the MVP Group has been supporting inoculation efforts of various NCR and regional LGUs.
Aside from vaccine donations, PLDT and Smart have also been supporting the government’s COVID-19 immunization efforts with free internet services to select vaccination facilities nationwide throughout 2021. PLDT-Smart Foundation, Metro Pacific Investments Corp., and One Meralco Foundation also jointly donated Php 1.5 million worth of Smart load for the NVD’s 34,000 encoders in 11,000 vaccination sites nationwide.
Vaccine incentives
To incentivize vaccination, Smart co-presented a program under Taskforce T3’s Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat campaign. With Smart Bakuna Benefits, one simply needed to present a vaccination card after getting jabbed to avail of exclusive deals from over 200 participating retail establishments nationwide.
The MVP Group’s support for the government’s inoculation efforts began in the first quarter of 2021, as MPHHI provided the expertise and available capacity of its key facilities for LGU vaccinations. The launch of MVP Group’s vaccinations for its non-clinical employees at NCR+ megasites soon followed in July, followed by regional vaccinations throughout the second half of 2021 in partnership with MPHHI and Reliance United.