QC gov’t, foodpanda PH sign deal to take in 200 displaced workers as freelance delivery bikers
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte signs agreement with foodpanda Philippines to help displaced workers earn a living as freelance delivery bikers. Also in photo are other officials of foodpanda and Quezon City.
At least 200 beneficiaries of the Quezon City government’s bicycle distribution program will soon earn a living as freelance delivery riders of foodpanda PH under an agreement signed by the city government and the leading food delivery company in the country.
The signing of the agreement signaled the launch of ‘pandaBIZikleta’, a program of the Quezon City government to help those who lost jobs during the pandemic.
Mayor Joy Belmonte and Daniel Marogy, foodpanda PH managing director, agreed to join hands with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ease the economic hardship of workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We continue to innovate and look for solutions to ease the sufferings of hardworking employees who, through no fault of their own, have lost their jobs due to this pandemic,” said Belmonte.
Through PandaBIZikleta, Belmonte said, the unemployed would “gain the financial stability needed to get through these difficult times.”
Marogy said the program was part of foodpanda PH’s corporate social advocacy and sustainability project. “We are honored to be in a position to help so many displaced workers in partnership with the Quezon City government and DOLE,” he said.
“As a company, we believe that what is good for the community, is also good for business,” Marogy said. “We warmly welcome 200 freelance delivery bikers from Quezon City into the Food Panda family,” he added.
The memorandum of agreement between foodpanda PH and the Quezon City government was signed on World Sustainability Day, Marogy said. It is celebrated worldwide to signify caring for the environment which was the philosophy behind the deployment of riders on bicycles.
“We are promoting the use of bicycles because it helps promote clean air and good health, which are vital factors in making communities more sustainable,” said Marogy.
Belmonte cited the help of DOLE in providing free bicycles through its BIKECINNATION program. The 200 displaced workers who would receive free bicycles would get an opportunity to earn a living as freelance delivery riders of foodpanda PH.
“We are helping our displaced workers and at the same time protecting the environment,” Belmonte said.
Beneficiaries to be referred by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) to foodpanda PH must be at least 18 years old with NBI or police clearance and a Quezon City resident who lost employment during the pandemic.
Belmonte said the beneficiaries would serve as independent contractors for at least two months.
Foodpanda PH would schedule recruitment and entry of the 200 freelance riders for orientation and training while providing them with discounted biker kits and similar benefits as the company’s other delivery service providers.
The Quezon City government, through its PESO, will help beneficiaries with online registration as independent contractors and in securing work permits and clearances.
“We are excited to witness the growth and expansion of the pandaBIZikleta movement,” said Marogy.
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