METRO GEAR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION

Door 1 Emerald Bldg., Brgy. Magdum, Tagum City, Davao del Norte
Telephone No.: (084) 216-7418 Email: [email protected]

No. 2021-______
MEMORANDUM
TO : ALL EMPLOYEES

THRU : DEPARTMENT/DIVISION MANAGERS

CC : DIVISION SUPERVISORS

DATE : June 29, 2021

SUBJECT : IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES ON COVID-19 IN THE

WORKPLACE

As we continually face this global battle against Corona Virus (Covid-19), we are in constant
participation to the national and local ordinances set about to prevent the spread of this disease.
Recently, the government heightened its alarm as the positive cases had gone uncontrollable
despite the implementation of numerous controls.

This July 01, 2021 the entire Davao region shall be placed to Modified Enhanced Community
Quarantine as covid-19 positive cases kept on increasing as days pass by.

Please be informed that with this at hand, the management shall set forth policies concerning this
matter in accordance to the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 20-04-A “DTI and DOLE
Supplemental Guidelines on Workplace Prevention and Control of COvid-19”. This further
encourage all employees to constantly observe standard health protocols as stated herein.

Further, given the new order to be under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine the
management is considering a skeletal workforce for all office based employees as an efficient
condition to aid in the control of virus spread. This, shall be facilitated and assessed by the
Department and Division Managers.

Furthermore, listed below are the reiteration of our basic precautionary measures by
employees to observe and NEW guidelines as our internal policy for employees infected and/or
exposed to the virus, the following:

I- WHEN ENTERING THE OFFICE PREMISES

1. No Mask, No Entry Policy;
2. Sanitizing and alcohol wash prior to entry to offices shall be strictly implemented;

F-HRD-037
Rev 0 02/01/20
 METRO GEAR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION
Door 1 Emerald Bldg., Brgy. Magdum, Tagum City, Davao del Norte
Telephone No.: (084) 216-7418 Email: [email protected]

3. Get your temperature checked, your normal temperature should not be more than 37
degrees celcius, if you have reached above the normal temperature, you will be asked to
leave the office immediately and seek a medical attention.
4. Physical/social distancing of at least 2 meters away from your workmates inside the
office is strictly observed;
5. Accepting of applicants with an interval of (1:1) one person in an hour to undergo pre-
interview and testing procedures. Meanwhile, while walk-in applicants may leave their
resume at the guard on duty.
6. Counter and Collection shall be on a regular basis at this time limited to window
transactions only. There shall be waiting area allocated.
7. In accepting visitors, department head shall advise the HR ahead of time to consolidate to
limit the numbers that is required to come at the office. If it is not as important, we are
encouraging every employee/s to use zoom meeting and other digital methods to address
their concerns with their respective clients.
8. If you are not feeling well, notify your head immediately for your home isolation and
give daily feedback to your health progress.

II- UPON REACHING YOUR WORK STATION

1. Upon reaching your work station, you should clean and sanitize and disinfect your table,
chair, computer/ laptop, keyboard and mouse and immediate surfaces you will come in
contact with before using them.
2. You can create your own disinfectants; either a mixture of:
 3 tablespoons of Zonrox in a 600ml of water or;
 3 teaspoons of Chlorine in a 600ml of water, (you can add bleaching powder
depending to your preference)
3. Daily disinfection is strictly implemented.

III- INSIDE THE OFFICE PROTOCOLS

1. Be open-minded and considerate, it is not only you who is going to this health crisis.
2. Communicate with your co-employees through text messages, email, viber, messenger or
through a phone call.
3. Avoid a face to face conversations, if it is necessary, then maintain a physical distancing
at least 2 meters away.
4. Observe proper cough etiquette and make sure to dispose your waste properly.
5. Sanitize any of the door knobs or door handles inside the office before and after using it.
6. Inside the comfort room, again sanitize the flush handle, the faucet and anything you will
touch before and after you leave.
7. Wash your hands properly at least 20 seconds each time you will use the toilet.
8. As you will bring your own food for your snacks and lunch, it is also necessary to bring
your own beverages. In using water dispensers, make sure to sanitize your hand before
and after using it as it is susceptible surface where virus remains.
9. Observe physical distancing even during noon breaks.
10. Remember your prayer forum during 12 noon.
11. Take note that “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE” and apparently, Corona
Virus (CoVid-19) has no cure at this moment. So, together let us be cautious in
guidelines and protocols implemented, always keep safe and beat Corona Virus!

F-HRD-037
Rev 0 02/01/20
 METRO GEAR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION
Door 1 Emerald Bldg., Brgy. Magdum, Tagum City, Davao del Norte
Telephone No.: (084) 216-7418 Email: [email protected]

IV- MANAGEMENT OF SYMPTOMATIC AND ASYMPTOMATIC

EMPLOYEES IN THE WORKPLACE

1. The management has retained a company physician for the purpose of easy access on
online consultation, medicine prescription and the like for all employees needing it. Any
employee who would wish to seek an appointment must first ask for a referral at HR
before he/she shall be catered by the doctor.
2. Any employee who went on 1 day sick leave shall be allowed to resume to work without
any medical certificate. Employee shall report to HR first for physical assessment and
temperature check before reporting in his post.
3. An employee who is on absence for 2-3 days up shall be required to secure medical
certificate from the health center before he/she shall be allowed to resume to work.
4. If employee continually seek for sick leave extension beyond 3 days and is manifesting 2
or more covid-like symptoms, he/she may be required to submit a rapid test result at
his/her expense but may be assisted in a form of Cash Advance.
5. When the employee’s rapid test result is negative and has no other sickness, the employee
shall immediately resume to work.
6. When the employee’s rapid test result is positive, the employee shall be advise for an
immediate home isolation/quarantine and shall wait for the local barangay to contact
him/her for rt-pcr swab testing. For an instance, if swab testing schedule at barangay
would take long days before conducted the company may assist the employee if he/she
wishes for an immediate swab testing at a private testing center. The employee can seek
for another Cash Advance for this matter.
7. If employee’s rt-pcr swab test is negative, employee may report back to work
immediately.
8. If employees rt-pcr swab test is positive, employee shall continue his/her home isolation
and wait for local barangays instruction.
9. Employees who happened to have a direct exposure for the past 14days with the positive
employee, shall be pulled-out from post immediately and shall be advised for a 14-days
home quarantine. Within first 7days out of 14days quarantine, when exposed employee
(considered as F1) does not manifests any single covid-like symptom he may be advised
to resume to work requiring only barangay certificate that he is not pum/pui. Upon
resumption, employee still have to submit daily to HR office for temperature and physical
check until 14days is over.
10. F1 employees who manifests covid-like symptoms may seek for Cash Advance for
his/her rapid testing and/or opt to finish his/her 14days home quarantine and resume to
work with the barangay certificate certifying his end of his/her 14days quarantine.
11. Employees both symptomatic and asymptomatic are encouraged to report to their local
barangays for the purpose of recording his/her quarantine period.

V- SUPPORT FOR INFECTED EMPLOYEES

While the company desires to establish a solid support for all employees exposed and
infected to this virus, we can only do so much. The following shall be assisted for those
infected and exposed.

1. For infected employee, his/her 14days quarantine/isolation shall be claimed thru SSS
Sickness and shall be facilitated by HR once the employee is already through with his/her
isolation period and provided that he/she shall submit all necessary documents.
F-HRD-037
Rev 0 02/01/20
 METRO GEAR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION
Door 1 Emerald Bldg., Brgy. Magdum, Tagum City, Davao del Norte
Telephone No.: (084) 216-7418 Email: [email protected]

2. For F1 employee, consumed days for his/her home isolation shall be credited to his/her
remaining unused leaves. (the argument here sometimes is “gamay na lng unused
leave dili makacompensate sa days na naquarantine ang tao”) my take on this is
bayaran iyang days in a form of CA na lng ghapon.
3. For infected employee who is on home quarantine and is not taken to isolation facility.
He/she shall be given home medication such as: 7pcs Antibiotic and Vitamin C good for
14 days. This shall be facilitated by the HR office.
4. We understand the worry of providing for the day to day consumables of the infected
employee or by his/her immediate family while the employee is on home quarantine or in
isolation facility. For this matter, the company would allow Cash Advances up to 3, 000/
employee for food pack. HR office shall facilitate the purchasing of grocery items
depending on the need demanded by the infected employee.
5. While we have high hopes for all of us not to get infected, we just can’t prevent anybody
from incurring it. If severe case for an instance and there is no available room at
government hospitals, employee may be admitted to private hospitals as he/she may
permit. An amount of 20, 000 as downpayment for private hospital shall be paid
immediately by the employer but shall be charged from the employee as Cash Advance.
Any excess after Philhealth and Health Insurance if there is any, shall be paid by the
employee. P10, 000. 00 cash assistance from the company shall be given to the employee
for this matter.

For strict compliance and implementation.

Failure to follow the above Protocols shall be dealt with as follows:
1st offense- 3 Working days Suspension without pay
2nd offense- 5 Working days Suspension without pay
3rd offense- Termination

Prepared by:

GRETCHEN D. RAMITAN
JR. HR Manager

Recommending Approval:

Fheir Kenneth V. Sunga,

Corporate Consultant

Geanne Claire L. Uy
Corporate Procurement

Ciara Isabelle L. Uy-Salazar

Executive Vice President

Approved by:

DE CARLO L. UY

F-HRD-037
Rev 0 02/01/20
 METRO GEAR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION
Door 1 Emerald Bldg., Brgy. Magdum, Tagum City, Davao del Norte
Telephone No.: (084) 216-7418 Email: [email protected]

President/ CEO

Notes for Take Up from the Joint Memorandum:

D #2d. Employers are highly encouraged to regularly send their employees for testing once every
quarter, at no cost to the employees.

VII. Leave of Absences and Entitlements

A. Use of leaves of absence and entitlements shall be governed by the pertinent rules and
regulations promulgated by the DOLE.
B. Hospitalization benefits of PhilHealth members shall be based on PhilHealth rules and regulations.
C. Social Security Benefits shall be according to the policies and regulations of the Social Security
System.
D. Employee’s Compensation Benefits shall be according to Presidential Decree No. 626 entitled
Employee’s Compensation and State Insurance Fund and its implementing rules and regulations.
E. Employers are highly encouraged to provide sick leave benefits, medical insurance coverage,
including supplemental pay allowance, for COVID 19 RT-PCR testconfirmed employees or close
contacts made to undergo a 14-day quarantine .

VI. Disinfection and Closure of Buildings/ Workplaces

A. If one confirmed case of COVID-19 is detected in the workplace, the facility shall be disinfected
with an appropriate disinfectant solution (0.5% bleach solution). The conduct of a comprehensive
disinfection by specialists is recommended. The building must be locked down for 24 hours prior to
disinfection to lessen transmission to sanitation personnel. During the disinfection process, all doors
and windows should be opened to maximize ventilation. The building may only be opened 24 hours
after the disinfection process.
B. Case clustering shall be defined as two or more confirmed cases from the same area/ facility
whether in the same/ different office spaces.
C. Employers are encouraged to develop their own company policies on the temporary closure of
the workplace, disinfection, and more extensive contact tracing, in the event of case clustering to
ensure continuity of operations.
D. Employers shall ensure that the temporary closure of their establishments for disinfection
purposes be done in accordance with the National Task Force Against COVID-19 Memorandum
Circular No. 2 dated 15 June 2020 on the Operational Guidelines on the Application of Zoning
Containment Strategy in the Localization of the National Action Plan against COVID-19 Response.
E. Individual businesses and offices, regardless of the community quarantine status in their
respective areas, must abide by the directives/advice of their LGU/CESU/RESU on building closure
due to case clustering.
F-HRD-037
Rev 0 02/01/20
 METRO GEAR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION
Door 1 Emerald Bldg., Brgy. Magdum, Tagum City, Davao del Norte
Telephone No.: (084) 216-7418 Email: [email protected]

F-HRD-037
Rev 0 02/01/20