SBMA-PHSD manager Dr. Solomon Jacalne (right) receives the biomedical refrigerator from TeleEmpire officials. Photo by Malou Dungog
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A business locator in this free port has donated a biomedical refrigerator to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority in support of the agency’s vaccination program for workers, residents and other stakeholders here.
SBMA chair Wilma T. Eisma said the donation from TeleEmpire Inc. will strengthen the capacity of the SBMA to pursue its vaccine rollout in partnership with the Department of Health and private groups.
“It’s a bio-ref, capable of temperatures from 2 to 8 degrees Centigrade, and it’s good for Sinovac, Astra Zeneca, or Janssen vaccines,” Eisma explained. “This will be a big help in our vaccine program and will complement the transport boxes and vaccine carriers we recently received from the DOH.”
Eisma said the biomedical refrigerator can store up to 20,000 vaccine vials. “Additional storage means better supply management of our vaccine allocations,” she added.
The donation was turned over by TeleEmpire president and CEO Johannes Lin to SBMA Public Health and Safety Department manager Dr. Solomon Jacalne.
Jacalne said the vaccine refrigerator will allow the SBMA health unit to store vaccines in its own facility rather than getting vaccine supplies from the DOH regional office or from the health office in Olongapo City.
“This donation from TeleEmpire makes it possible for us to get more vaccine allotment from the government,” Jacalne pointed out. “It can also be used to store vaccines for flu and other medical preparations.”
TeleEmpire Inc. handed out its donation as a gesture of gratitude for the vaccination of its employees on August 11. The rollout was made possible with the assistance of the SBMA and DOH and benefited the firm’s 280 employees.
TeleEmpire provides facility management services and business process outsourcing services to Philippine overseas gaming operators located outside the freeport.
Eisma also expressed her gratitude to the company for its support, pointing out that if both the private and public sectors worked together, herd immunity could be attained faster in the Subic Bay community.
She said the Subic agency is reaching out to all possible sources of vaccine to ensure that the Subic Bay workforce will all be immunized and protected against the Covid-19 virus.
