CLARK FREEPORT ZONE — Thousands go back to work as more locators in allowed industries resume operations with restrictions slowly eased under a General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
Records from Clark Development Corporation (CDC) Business Development and Enhancement Group show that locators under Manufacturing/Supply Chain and Logistics, Information and Communications Technology/Business Process Outsourcing (ICT/BPO), Restaurants & Fast Food, Retail Stores, Hospitals, Pharmacy, Gas Stations and Ancillary, Trading, Canteens and Banks have gradually increased in the past three months.
In the Manufacturing/Supply Chain and Logistics sector, 165 of 262 locators are now back in operation while 11,043 of their employees have reported back to work.
This shows a 50 percent and 74 percent increase, respectively, from when the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) were in place.
The ICT/BPO Industry has shown a 51% increase in operations since the ECQ and MECQ, with 59 out of 149 locators back to provide services. This sector posted a 70% increase in workforce with some 3,416 workers reporting for work, compared to when Pampanga was under ECQ and MECQ.
Restaurants have recorded a 30% increase in operations with 26 out of 115 establishments now open. Meanwhile, 26 of 37 retail stores are now providing services, posting a 13% increase since ECQ and MECQ.
In the trading sector, 3 out of 5 establishments are now operating while 5 canteens have opened their doors to provide services.
10 banks inside the Freeport have been operational since ECQ and MECQ, and an additional 1 bank in operation marks a 10% increase in operations.
Shopping malls have also been allowed to open but under limited operations.
These industries have begun operating following the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on the implementation of the GCQ.
“The CDC believes that the easing of quarantine restrictions, which started on June 1, is a sound move for the economy. But there should be discipline in practicing health protocols inside the Freeport and in strictly observing the guidelines set down by the IATF-EID,” CDC Communications Division Manager Noel Tulabut said.
“The number of operational firms are expected to increase as the situation starts to ease and guidelines become less restrictive,” he added.
In its GCQ protocols, CDC states that all industries can operate except those categorized under leisure and recreation, gaming, fitness establishments, tourism industries, and all industries under Category 4.
Meanwhile, companies which resumed their operations are required to strictly observe and follow health standards to ensure the safety and well-being of employees as they adapt to the new normal in their workplaces.
“Locator companies can operate from 30% capacity and will be allowed to increase based on existing conditions in workplaces that should consider social distancing and other health protocols,” Tulabut furthered.