AFAB administrator Engr. Emmanuel Pineda and Mayor Jocelyn Castaneda discuss the return of some workers to work in companies at the Mariveles freeport. Photo by Ernie Esconde
MARIVELES, Bataan — The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan on Thursday announced that 20 percent of the total workers and about 40 percent of companies at the Freeport Area of Bataan here are set to be back to work and to resume operations.
Hazel Keith Ellorin, AFAB information officer, said 6,000 to 8,000 of the 40,000 workers in 100 companies will be back to work with 37 companies ready to operate.
She said that those that will open were allowed under a modified enhanced community quarantine that replaced the enhanced community quarantine status.
Ellorin said the companies permitted to operate may utilize maximum workforce depending on the area of the workplace with one–meter physical distancing.
“The number of workers will be finalized and has to be submitted to FAB before the companies can operate,” she said.
Engr. Emmanuel Pineda, AFAB administrator, said that they are open under a skeletal workforce to deliver the necessary service to the public and to support the locator companies and businesses to open within the freeport.
He said that there are companies that may operate at full operational capacity while those falling under the allowed industry categories are permitted to utilize the maximum allowable number of workers based on its full capacity: “I would like to reiterate that the AFAB will only allow the maximum number of workers that would fit the workspaces without violating the one-meter physical distancing, subject to the inspection and approval of the AFAB.”
“Safety protocols should always be observed including the strict implementation of physical distancing, use of face masks or face shield, and routine disinfection using 70 percent alcohol or other disinfectants and sanitizers, regular handwashing, and daily monitoring and submission of health checklist mandated by theDepartment of Trade and Industry and Department of Labor and Employment,” Pineda added.
He said that prescribed work arrangements may also be implemented such as work-from-home, four-day or compressed workweek, staggered working hours or a combination of the options.
“For locators in the hotel industry, only those with long-term bookings are partially allowed to operate with a maximum of 40 percent skeleton workforce while all covered enterprises must submit a list of employees to report for work for the duration of the MECQ to the AFAB-Incident Management Team for the issuance of the AFAB worker’s pass,” the administrator said.
He said that with the easing of the ECQ to MECQ, all enterprises and other establishments permitted to operate in the FAB may now allow workers residing within Mariveles to report for work and point-to-point shuttle services be provided for the workers.
Workers, Pineda said, may also use their personal or private vehicles, provided that they abide by the safety protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Private motorcycles and bicycles are also allowed with a strict load limit of one . Back-riding is not allowed. Personal vehicles, on the other hand, shall follow the load limit of two passengers per row, he said.
He said that during the MECQ, only essential and priority construction projects shall be allowed to resume its activities, may it be public or private that must strictly adhere to the construction safety guidelines set by the Department of Public Works and Highways. Small-scale construction projects are still not allowed to resume.
Pineda said that FAB remains free of coronavirus disease and asked everyone to cooperate.
