LT Group readies vaccination program for 50K employees

Conglomerate LT Group Inc. of taipan Lucio Tan is providing vaccines against COVID-19 to its nearly 50,000 executives, staff and service providers starting the middle of the year.

In a statement, the company said about 90 percent of its employees are ready and willing to get themselves vaccinated.

The high vaccine acceptance was attributed to the aggressive information drive the group has been conducting since early February, LTG said.

LTG president Michael Tan said getting vaccinated is key to reopening the economy.

“While we may not immediately return to our old ways, it’s an important step to regain our freedom and the life we once had. I therefore enjoin everyone to get that jab,” he said.

The group has firm vaccine orders for close to 40,000 employees and 14,000 third party service providers of all firms belonging to the Lucio Tan Group of Companies, Tan said.

Service providers include those that employees interact with on a daily basis like security guards and canteen concessionaires. Mechanics are also being drafted to allow employees to access vaccines for their families and households, he said.

“Vaccination is a crucial step toward the path to normalcy. Not only does it protect you from getting severely sick but also protects everyone around you – your family, friends, co-workers and customers – from catching the virus,” Tan said.

In November 2020, LTG joined some of the country’s biggest conglomerates in signing firm orders for AstraZeneca vaccine through a tripartite agreement with the national government and business advocacy group Go Negosyo led by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion.

Other Philippine conglomerates such as Ayala Corp., the group of Enrique Razon, the MVP Group and Jollibee Foods Corp. have also ordered vaccines for their employees.

So far, the government has prioritized the vaccination of medical frontliners in the country.