Tagaytay Highlands rises from twin crises

MANILA, Philippines — Organizations either successfully adjust to the prevailing situation or simply fall by the wayside in the face of adversity. For some, it is even during adverse natural and high-risk events that they manage to thrive altogether.

Tagaytay Highlands, a leisure development of the SM Group of Companies, takes no exception when a recent natural calamity – the Taal Volcano eruption –  put its resilience to the test. While quickly bouncing back, it had to respond to another crisis, this time the COVID pandemic, almost simultaneously. From an investor’s perspective, Tagaytay Highlands’ ability to weather overlapping crises is an assurance of its high level of emergency preparedness.

To continuously adapt to the current situation, Tagaytay Highlands enforced new countermeasures to maintain health and safety in the estate. Plastic partitions in members and employees’ shuttle services and golf jeepstars have been installed. Riding capacity has also been reduced to 50 percent with respect to physical distancing.

Upon entering the property, employees continue to be monitored closely and undergo non-contact thermal scanning. Temperatures are again checked at all main entrances in Tagaytay Highlands. All public entrances/exits and frequently touched surfaces continue to be routinely disinfected and equipped with foot baths. In all of these, Department of Health protocols are being strictly followed.

In the employees’ canteen and offices, two-meter distancing is observed. Some offices were transferred to more spacious areas to avoid close interaction amongst colleagues.

Physical distancing is also in place at Tagaytay Highlands’ select restaurants. The Great Room of The Spa and Lodge, which offers food take-out and delivery, temporarily removed dining tables and chairs.

Club frontliners assigned outside enclosed spaces have been mandated to take extra safety precaution by wearing face shields as well as personal protective equipment to add to their face masks.

In residential properties, safety guidelines, including mandatory temperature checks and physical distancing, continue to be implemented. Homeowners’ mobility is limited to accessing basic services and loitering is highly discouraged.

To safeguard the best interest of its residents, Tagaytay Highlands continues to offer limited service to all its residents by accepting food take-out and delivery orders. Its resident convenience store 7-Eleven is also open. These establishments’ operating hours are regulated in compliance with GCQ rules.

Estate services are also on hand at the site to ensure vital utilities and maintenance services are operational and secure. Property management services within the communities continue to be provided. Property management staff, security and multi-skilled technicians are deployed daily on site, with property personnel staying on site to service its residents. Homeowners are updated digitally on club announcements and government advisories.

Compliant with government’s quarantine guidelines, property management continues to exercise due diligence in the upkeep of its common areas and amenities. Continuous preventive maintenance and emergency repairs are carried out with the support of accredited contractors.

These measures are being undertaken to keep community facilities working in optimal condition, thereby continuously providing all members, residents and homeowners with essential services and operational improvements amid these challenging times.