‘NO TO DISCRIMINATION’: BPO sector in Iloilo City calls for support instead of hate

The Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry in Iloilo has called for support instead of hate and discrimination against call center agents amid the surge in COVID-19 cases traced to the IT-BPM industry.

Workers in the IT-BPM industry in Iloilo City were not spared from acts of discrimination following the surge of cases detected in business processing outsourcing (BPO) firm iQor-Iloilo for the past two weeks.

According to Joeven Tansi, executive director of the Iloilo Federation for Information Technology (I-FIT), call center agents have reported being evicted from their boarding houses, refused entry in their own barangays and in public transport vehicles.

On Thursday, Tansi said a team leader from a BPO firm in Mandurriao district was shot by motorcycle riders with an airsoft gun while he was on his way to work.

“We confirmed the incident. He was a team leader of a particular company. Ga-bike siya pakadto sa office when the incident happened. He immediately reported the incident sa ila nga security,” he said in a phone interview on Friday.

Tansi said they understand the fear of the public from being infected with the virus, but he appealed for support for employees of the IT-BPM sector.

“Indi naton pag-i-discriminate kay gapangabuhi man ni sila para makasurvive ila family intidihon naton sila at the same time ginaintindi man namon ang feelings sang mga tawo nga nahadlok sa sini nga virus, tanan kita apektado sa Iloilo so let’s tolerate each other,” he said.

 

In the same way that they want to stop discrimination against call center agents, Tansi said they are also willing to apologize and change their ways if there were lapses on their part.

“If may sala kami, you can call our attention. Kon may nakasala sa amon nga lebel, pasensyahon niyo kami. The IT-BPM sector is just one of the many sectors under the services industry that are really affected by the virus but indi nga tanan nga call centers carriers sang virus. We have protocols in place,” he said.

Tansi assured that the IT-BPM sector in Iloilo City have been practicing global health protocols to prevent the transmission of Covid-19.

BPO companies, particularly iQor, provided transportation to the agents to minimize their exposure.

Moreover, regular disinfection in all the floors is also conducted every hour.  The “no sharing” policy in workstations is also being strictly implemented.

For those who tested positive, Tansi said that their companies have been providing them with all their needs from food and medicines.

City Mayor Jerry Treñas also slammed discrimination of call center agents in the metro. He stressed the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance being imposed in Iloilo CIty.

“We already have an Anti-Discrimination Ordinance. The City Legal Office will file charges to those found violating the rule of law. We should fight the virus as the enemy, not the people already adversely affected by the pandemic,” he said.

 

1,073 WORKERS TEST NEGATIVE

Meanwhile, a total of 1,073 call center agents of iQor-Iloilo tested negative for COVID-19 so far.

Tansi confirmed the information based on the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results released on Wednesday, Aug 12, 2020.

“As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 1,073 employees from iQor nga may negative RT-PCR results. They were allowed to be discharged from the hotels which served as their quarantine facilities,” he said in a phone interview.

Meanwhile, other agents whose confirmatory results are still pending will remain in hotel quarantine until their laboratory results are out, Tansi added.

Tansi said they are still collating the total number of agents who underwent testing as the swabs were extracted and tested by different accredited laboratories.

Mayor Treñas has said that only employees with negative confirmatory results will be allowed to return to their work.
Despite the good news, Tansi said they are still struggling as employees who want to return to their work were stranded because of the localized lockdowns imposed in several barangays in Iloilo City.

He added that parents and relatives of the agents themselves disallowed them from returning to their work due to the threats of the virus.

“May mga challenges lang in terms of working back sa sites kay kadamo-damo sang na-lockdown nga kabataan bangod sang mga ginpatuman nga lockdowns. Others have issues with their family kay indi sila pagtugutan sang ila mga ginikanan nga magbalik sa obra,” Tansi said.

Other agents still await their equipment to be used in their work-from-home arrangements.

As of Wednesday, the total COVID cases detected at iQor was 149, composed of 92 Iloilo City residents and 57 from Iloilo province.

iQor is the biggest IT-BPM industry in Iloilo with four operating sites and more than 2,000 employees.

The Center for Health Development – Western Visayas (DOH-6) has noted that clustering of Covid-19 cases in the region cannot just be confined in barangays but also in workplaces and public settings.

In Iloilo City, the health department noted clustering of cases in iQor and at the Iloilo Fishing Port Complex (IFPC).

Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, head of the infectious Disease Unit of the DOH-6, stressed that the local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGAs) should work hand in hand in ensuring the compliance of minimum health standards to address the surge of cases in workplaces and public setting.

According to Juanico, more than half of the total Covid-19 cases in the region belong to the working sector aged 21-50. Hence, they are the most affected age groups in Western Visayas. (ERS)