Philippine Seven Corporation (PSC), the exclusive licensor of 7-Eleven in the Philippines, has partnered with the Department of Health’s (DOH) BIDA Solusyon Campaign to take the fight against COVID-19 to the barangay level.
7-Eleven conducted a survey among 38,000 people in August and it turns out that only 60% of the people in the inner neighborhoods wore masks.
This prompted the company to install a COVID-19 update poster in each of its 2,951 stores nationwide once barangay level data was made publicly available in mid-September.
The poster is updated daily with the data coming from the Department of Health (DOH). It shows the number of active cases and the trend. It shows the local data plus similar information about the two adjacent barangays.
PSC President and CEO Victor Paterno said, “Our management philosophy is ‘show the right data in the right form to the right people at the right time, and they will make the right decisions.’ You can’t look over the shoulder of every store manager when you have 3,000 stores – you have to give him the freedom to manage his store, but at the same time let him know how he is doing, so he can either be left alone, recognized, or held accountable. We think the same is true with regard to managing COVID-19.”
The barangay information drive reflects the private sector’s contribution towards the DOH’s transition from a top-down approach towards managing COVID-19, to one that focuses on strengthening the pandemic response at the grassroots.
“BHERTs are the first-line responders to the public for any COVID-19-related health concern,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh Vergeire. “Through 7-Eleven’s information drive initiative, the BHERTs, and the Barangay Disiplina Brigades, we aim for a stronger response at where transmission is most common: the barangay level.”
To support the government as it pushes for wearing masks, washing hands, and keeping distance as key ways to prevent the spread of the virus, 7-Eleven is elevating awareness about COVID further by informing its customers about the number of active COVID-19 cases at their local barangay level.
Vergeire emphasized the importance of united effort between the government and the private sector in the fight against COVID-19, “Malaking bagay po ang pakikipagtulungan ng private sector sa pagapapalawig ng ating pandemic response. We were able to do it more efficiently because of the cooperation of the different business sectors.”
“Kaya’t muli, kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa Philippine Seven Corporation, sa lahat ng ating BIDA partners, sa ating LGUs at sa ating mga mamamayan na patuloy ang pag suporta at pag-comply sa ating BIDA Solusyon health reminders.”
