CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Luzon recently conferred a new award to the country’s leading and ISO-certified meat processing company.
Regional Director Raymundo Agravante has conferred Tripartite Certificate of Compliance with Labor Standards (TCCLS) to Mekeni Food Corporation (Mekeni) and 10 other companies in Central Luzon. There are about 4,400 enterprises in the region that are under mandated monitoring by the DOLE. Mekeni is the only company in the food industry sector to be given this award.
“This is a kick-off program of activities in our full implementation of new labor law compliance system that we are usually conducting based on the enforcement power of DOLE,” Agravante said during the awarding ceremonies.
TCCLS is one of the most coveted certifications by any company as it acknowledges voluntary compliance with standards on general labor, occupational safety, health and child labor.
Part of the incentives in the TCCLS certification is a three-year exemption from mandatory inspections and eligibility to win higher recognition such as the DOLE Secretary’s Labor Law Compliance Award and the Tripartite Seal of Excellence to be given in Malacanang.
Agravante said that Mekeni complied with necessary standards per evaluation of the committee “especially on health and safety being in the food industry”.
Mekeni was started by couple Felix and Meding Garcia as a backyard tocino business in Balubad, Porac in 1986. It now employs more than 1,000 workers and has been conferred various awards and certifications from various government agencies, local and international private firms.
Its recent awards include the Platinum Award of Total Quality Leadership conferred by Business Initiative Directions in Frankfurt, Germany.
Mekeni is the very first Asian and Philippine meat plant to have been certified with the highest standards in hotdog processing. It is the first in Asia and Philippines and second firm in the world to get the Food Safety Management System (FSMS) or ISO 22000 in 2006.
Recently, it was also certified as the first Philippine meat processing company to have obtained the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000, the latest and integrated standard on food safety and quality. FSSC covers many of the most comprehensive existing food and safety standards and program requirements because of the full integration of ISO 22000.
This certification covers its hotdog line and marinated products, making Mekeni’s tocino as the first and only tocino that is ISO certified.
Prudencio S. Garcia, president and CEO of Mekeni, said that they dedicate the latest recognition to the customers, dealers and workers.
“We owe it to the people that we are given this award. The customers, the community and our staff. With this recognition, we will continue to commit to excellence in work environments, production, food safety and quality. The public deserves no less than the highest quality standards,” Garcia said.
“This is another proof that our company truly cares,” Garcia added.
The TCCLS is a seal of good housekeeping award by the Labor Department. It is a pre-requisite to the DOLE Secretary’s Labor Law Compliance Award (SLLCA) and the Tripartite Seal of Excellence (TSE) – two of the most prestigious awards given to top performing Philippine-based companies in terms of compliance and best practices in labor standards.
Other awardees in Central Luzon include:
Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club, Chun Chiang Enterprises Mfg. Company, Inc., Essilor Manufacturing Phils., Inc., International Wiring Systems Phils. Inc., ON Semiconductor SSMP Phils., Corp., Petron Freeport Corp., Petron San Fernando Depot, Pharmatechnical Laboratory, Inc., Subic Enerzone, and Trust International Paper Corp.
Of the 11 awardees, only Mekeni, International Wiring Systems Phils, and Subic Enerzone qualify for the SLLCA and TSE awards.
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