Securing a lifeline: Banking personnel find ways to helm finance frontlines

MANILA, Philippines — A couple of weeks since the implementation of the Luzon-wide lockdown, LGUs have been carrying out varying levels of quarantine measures, with numerous provinces across the country following suit—all in the effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.

With this, movement among citizens remains and will remain to be limited, especially as public transportation has come to a halt. Borders between cities have checkpoints where only those who are allowed can enter and exit.

Despite this, a number of remarkable Filipinos continue to man their stations, making sure that the population at large get what they need, when they need it most.

We know these individuals: they are our doctors, nurses, fast food workers, supermarket employees, security guards, the police, among others. They are the so-called frontliners. Also included in this set of allies against COVID-19 are those in the financial services sector.

At BDO, frontliners find ways to continue to serve Filipinos with their financial needs.

‘No mountain high, no valley low’

One of the main inconveniences amid the lockdown is getting to and from work, leaving some to device alternatives to get around the city.

For Maricon Manayao-Rodolfo at BDO Xentro Mall-Naval Vizconde, she and her colleagues found that carpooling was the most efficient way to go.

“My colleagues continue to inspire me everyday. Hirap po kami sa transportation pero nagtutulung-tulungan kami. Kung sino yung pwedeng sumabay sa isang Service Officer na may car, sumasabay. Iniintindi namin ang isa't isa dahil kami ay pamilya sa labas ng mga pamilya namin,” she explained.

(My colleagues continue to inspire me every day. Transporation is difficult for us but we help each other. Whoever is able to ride with a Service Officer with a car, does. We understand each other because we are also a family, outside of our own families.)

Meanwhile, Sonny Maroon, head at one of the bank’s Institutional Services, kept his calm and carried on.

“I had a hard time crossing a Rizal to NCR checkpoint despite supposedly being exempted from the community quarantine. (I was) warned that I might not be able to get back home. I told him I would rather choose duty than inaction, and he let me pass with a salute,” he recalled.

Nina Guillen from the BDO Malabon-Rizal Avenue Branch summed up the efforts of her fellow bank tellers.

“It made me realize that if you love your work, love working with your friends, and serving the needs of your clients, you have enough motivation to go to work everyday even if you don’t have any means of transportation. Ngayon ko mas lalong nakita at naramdaman ang mantra namin. Truly, we find ways to serve the needs of our clients,” she said.

In response to this, BDO is offering free shuttle service for its skeletal workforce, covering the North-West, North-East, North-South, West-South, and Eastern routes in Metro Manila.

This service covers trips from designated pick-up points to BDO offices in the morning, and then from BDO offices back to the pick-up (drop-off) points in the afternoon and early evening.

Answering the ‘call of duty’

BDO frontliners are bound by responsibility to serve their bank clients and, at the same time, make sure everyone is safe from health risks posed by the novel coronavirus.

Cherry Lou Relox from BDO Fort Bonifacio-Bayani Road branch acknowledged and assured this.

“We assure them that we are still giving them excellent service and also protecting their health at the same time. This COVID-19 experience made us all realize that there is nothing impossible if we're all working together. Like the medical health workers, we are also risking our lives here, but we are BDO bankers, and we are willing to go the extra mile to service our clients’ needs,” she said.

For Jessa Venus Ilagan of BDO Aurora Blvd-Notre Dame Branch, team effort also makes this possible.

“Lahat po sa branch, mapa-janitor, guards at officers, pati sa mga relievers andoon para maibigay lahat ng makakaya, para makapagbigay serbisyo. Lahat tumutulong. Team effort po ito,” she said.

(Everyone in our branch, be it the janitor, guards or officers, even the relievers, are all there to give all that we can, and to serve. Everyone is helping. It’s a team effort.)

What’s most important is remaining steadfast in the “time of corona,” said Aeron Cruz of BDO BGC-Ecotower Branch.

“We encounter challenges everyday, from the time we go to the branch, from the checkpoints we have to go through, to assisting clients with our limited resources, manpower and being possibly exposed to the virus. But what keeps us going is the thought that we are able to contribute in this difficult time. We continue to serve because despite our fears, we care for our people and our clients,” he said.

As of this writing, the Philippines has recorded a total of 2,084 cases. Of these, 88 are casualties, and 49 have since recovered.

While the entire world population is underway in flattening the curve, and our experts on a mad dash to develop a vaccine, these unprecedented times have led us back to basics.

It has also given rise to modern heroes, whose service truly moves us forward in our survival—in more ways than one.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.