Employees first

By Zyrelle del Prado

While most people have been working remotely since the start of the pandemic, PJ Pest Control Services (PJ Pest Control for Brevity), a locator of the John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC), continued their operations to meet the unprecedented surge in the demand for their disinfection services.

The company is a sole proprietorship based in Baguio City, with operations in some parts of Luzon. It provides disinfection applications and pest control management in workplaces and residences. As the spread of the coronavirus advances, the services of PJ Pest Control have become indispensable in maintaining a clean and virus-free environment.

Peter Panuncio, owner and manager,

lives by the company’s mission of providing excellent quality service to all its clients.

Panuncio says, “We made adjustments in our workplace. We have living quarters for my workers. They are all staying in to minimize and prevent their exposure to the virus. If one is infected, at least the virus is contained.”

He adds, “They have been away from their families for quite some time. I have explained to them how the virus can spread, and its effects and consequences when one is infected. After every disinfection or deep cleaning project, my workers are swabbed. Then, they are quarantined for fourteen days, even if their tests yield negative results. As they complete this period, my other workers who had completed the same procedure would take care of the operations, and the cycle goes on.”

Panuncio proudly says that since the pandemic, no worker has tested positive. He credits this feat to their very strict household rules. He also adopts the best practices of other business establishments that are similar to PJ Pest Control.

Sticking to the old ways

While most companies shift to digital operations, Panuncio maintains an old school method of doing business: receiving and accepting bookings through calls and text messages, and through walk-in clients. He says this kind of relationship with customers has sustained his business since 2008, and has earned him respect and a good reputation. To date, the PJ Pest Control is sought by mostly high-end hotels and developers like the Hillsford Property, one of the locators inside JHMC.

While his workers earnestly comply with all the documentary requirements before entry, he admits that social mobility remains a setback. The imposition of varied community quarantine status for cities and provinces restricts their client engagement.

Now, Panuncio is looking forward to the availability of vaccines to his employees. As his workers are all confined inside the walls of his premises and rarely visit their families, the vaccine is their hope for normalcy. Given a chance, he would want all his employees vaccinated, but he leaves the final decision to them.

Further, to lessen the stress of “cabin fever” and restricted physical activities outside of his premises, he encourages his workers to exercise.

Panuncio believes that the success of his business lies in the well-being of all his employees.