BY Azlan Othman

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) yesterday established its ‘Corporate Platoon’ which acts as a support group to the Brunei Darussalam Red Crescent Society (BRC) and will be involved in offering humanitarian assistance and volunteering activities to the nation.

The BIBD ‘Corporate Platoon’ will act as an auxiliary agent or support to the BRC in executing missions or tasks on basic first aid and life saving. This is the first corporate entity in the Sultanate to have established such a group and initiative and is part of a follow-up action of an Intelligent Partnership Agreement (IPA) signed with the BRC in June.

The platoon, which consists of 30 certified members and certified first aiders made up of the bank’s employees from all levels, aims to professionally participate in humanitarian and volunteering work at both national and international level.

Members of the platoon have undergone and completed an intensive training recognised by the Safety, Health and Environment National Authority (SHENA) which is the Occupational First Aid Course (OFAC) and a first-of-its-kind wellness training programme in Brunei certified by the Ministry of Health (MoH).

“Alhamdulillah, BIBD is very proud of yesterday’s milestone which reflects our strong commitment and readiness as a corporate citizen to serve our nation in various aspects including initiatives that look after the health and wellness of our people, in line with our foundational values of Maqasid Syariah,” said BIBD’s Head of Government Relations and Special Projects Haji Muhammad Yusri bin Haji Wahsalfelah, the honorary member of the newly-established platoon. “This occasion also illustrates our longstanding support and collaboration with BRC, a highly regarded non-governmental organisation that supports the MoH. It has been our privilege to be able to support the BRC in their initiatives, and we look forward to continuing our strong and meaningful partnership with them and other strategic partners.”

Present at an event to mark the platoon’s establishment was Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II and Chairman of BIBD Group Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah.

The event, at the PGGMB building in the capital, also saw the presentation of a certificate of appreciation to Mohammad Sabri bin Sardi, an employee of BIBD who is also a BRC first aider.

Mohammad Sabri received the recognition following an incident during which he was the first respondent on site of a car accident and effectively assisted the casualty until police and ambulance arrived.

Earlier in June this year, BIBD and BRC signed an IPA which would see the bank collaborate with the BRC in areas of mutual interest such as training, in-kind and manpower support as well as health, safety and wellness initiatives.

Throughout the pandemic, BIBD staff have volunteered with the BRC in various initiatives such as the distribution of COVID-19 hygiene packs and basic food necessities for underprivileged families and vulnerable segments.

BIBD also collaborated with the BRC in organising a ‘COVID-19 Workplace Ready Colloquium’, in which 40 BIBD staff were appointed as COVID-19 marshalls, after being trained in understanding safety protocols, creating awareness and adapting to mindset changes in living with the virus as well as developing behavioural changes to ensure the safety of all employees and the readiness of workplaces in the COVID-19 environment.

In 2021, BIBD became the first financial institution in Brunei to be officially certified as COVID-19 workplace ready by the BRC after undergoing rigorous training modules developed by the BRC in line with World Health Organization (WHO) standards and adhering to the facts and standard operation procedures of WHO Guidelines and Global First Aid Reference Centre (GFARC).

Earlier this year, BIBD was also conferred with the Distinguished Friends of BRC Award in recognition of the bank’s strong support and collaboration for the BRC’s community and volunteer works throughout the second and third COVID-19 waves.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin