SM widens COVID-19 vax program
The SM Group has vaccinated 94 percent of its eligible employees against COVID-19, while supporting the government’s vaccination efforts.
“Our goal is to support broad vaccination efforts and not just to focus on our own people or those connected with our business. We are here for the good of the community and to support vaccination as a national priority,” said Frederic DyBuncio, president and chief executive officer of SM Investments Corp. (SMIC).
Previously, SM ordered over 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for its employees and for donation to the government.
SM’s vaccination program is a joint effort of companies under the group, including the parent conglomerate SMIC and its operating units SM Prime Holdings Inc., SM Retail Inc., BDO Unibank Inc., China Banking Corp. as well as portfolio companies such as 2GO Group, Inc., Atlas Mining and Development Corp. and Goldilocks Bakeshop. One of the first in the private sector to source vaccines, BDO provided vaccines through a tripartite agreement among the national government, vaccine manufacturers and the private sector led by Go Negosyo and its founder Joey Concepcion.
With COVID-19 vaccines essential to the recovery of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), SM malls teamed up with Go Negosyo to open shared vaccination sites as part of Go Negosyo’s “A Dose of Hope” program.
