Issue #1: Death Care in the New Normal
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
The year is 2020, and we have found ourselves at the advent of a world crisis. If this year may be described as anything, it is a clear testament that despite the advancement of the human mind, and the sophistication of human engineering, nature will have its way of reminding humanity of its mortality.
Friends and colleagues, we, at the deathcare industry, have stood witness, front and center, as the epidemic unfolded and took with it its unfortunate casualties. The experience would have been nerve-wracking for most, but I am proud to commend everyone in Golden Haven for putting up the best fight in all aspects of our business, keeping us as the deathcare service provider of choice of the doting Filipino, then and hereon forward into the new normal.
Our employees’ safety has always been paramount in management’s priorities, and maintaining such, while providing the same old “Alagang Golden”, has been the challenge we have conquered together. Throughout the events of the pandemic, we have been compassionate yet professional; non-judgmental yet discerning; and we have been alleviating grief of clients while maintaining standards prescribed by the health department. Our parks and offices have been meticulously treated with constant disinfection drives, to make sure our clients deal with us in confidence. These acts of care all reflect our “Alagang Golden” promise to all our stakeholders.
Moreover, I am proud of everyone for finding ways and means to leverage on technology to preserve the quality of our services, at safer distances. Online payment channels have been established and swiftly put into practice, enabling our clients to settle accounts at the comforts of their own homes. Our soon to launch technology; WakeConnect, is a revolutionary initiative that will take online funerals to new heights with sophisticated features, and more personal connectivity than ever before. Wherever you may be in the Philippines or in the world, Golden Haven will equip you with the perfect avenue to share memories, and be with your loved ones through the most trying of times. Let’s not make death a lot harder than it already is, here at Golden Haven, we have been embodying what it truly means to be the perfect “katuwang” in grief and eventual acceptance.
We are moving forward into the new normal, full sail ahead. I am confident that, together with our Chairman, and with everyone on board, we are bringing the Golden Haven ship into new, undiscovered shores. There is more to what has been mentioned earlier; the pandemic may be a testament to our mortality, but it is also a worthy testament of our resilience through each other. May God bless us all.
– Red J Rosales (COO, Golden Haven)
Death Industry in the New Normal
This year has certainly been a roller coaster ride — and it’s nowhere close to slowing down. 2020 has arguably been the worst year yet for this generation, with the advent of a novel coronavirus outbreak which was later on formally called and popularly known as COVID-19.
The World Health Organization, on its official online publication, describes COVID-19 as an “infectious disease that spreads primarily through droplets from coughs or sneezes of an infected person”.
On July 11, the Philippines recorded its highest death toll due to COVID-19 with 162 deaths in a day. This peak raised an alarming wave of people having anxiety over being unable to have ample time to mourn over the death of their loved one.
OUR SERVICES ARE NEW NORMAL READY.
For the death care industry, the challenge lingers. Imagine not having the opportunity to take care of your beloved the moment they contracted the virus and the inability to visit them at the hospital as they battle the infectious disease. Far even more difficult is not being able to give them proper memorial rites at your home or memorial chapel because the deceased had to be cremated within 12 hours and then buried right after.
This has been the kind of situation our death care industry front-liners continue to face during the pandemic. A wave of frustrated and depressed family members who want to spend more time with their departed loved ones during the funeral, a series of pleas to invite as many people as possible, but all in vain. Heartbroken as they are, our front-liners have to disagree and turn down these requests for the greater good and in compliance to the guidelines prescribed by the government to stop the further spread of the virus.
The COVID-19 pandemic might have bruised not just the health of our countrymen but also the moral and cultural values of our people. The customary five to nine days funeral is no longer an option. The parade of vehicles attending the burial is limited to only ten to twenty family members. The amount of time to grieve over the loss is at full tilt.
TAKING CARE OF BOTH OUR CLIENTS AND EMPLOYEES
In Golden Haven, we are proud to be readily adapting to the changes of what has been dubbed as the “new normal”. We thrive in agility, as our commitment of “New Normal but the Same Old Alagang Golden” remains paramount.
Our parks and services are attuned to be safe but still preserve the solemnity of trying times. We are heavily investing in the safety of both our valued clients and our most important asset — our people. Weekly disinfection and sanitation measures are put into place, for our parks, service areas, and offices.
In our chapels, our Family Care Associates (FCAs) are fully equipped with safety equipment and well-versed in protocols to assure that our clients enjoy the best quality of service only Golden Haven can provide.
Further, we are adapting to the digital world in a grand manner, through our sophisticated technology aptly called WakeConnect, a cloud-based Cisco-licensed platform to enable our kababayans anywhere in the Philippines, and in the world, to partake in the celebration of life of their dearly departed. The technology is a big leap in the industry — in contrast with its pixelated, barely viewable, and non-personal predecessors.
Going Digital
Also as part of our drive to go big on digital, we have opened various digital payment avenues for our clients to keep their accounts updated while in the comforts of their own homes. We have partnered with banks, and the premier e-wallet providers in the country, including our sister company; Villar-owned AllEasy.
Through these measures, we are easing the whole of the Golden Haven ecosystem into new digital frontiers — from reservation, account management, availment, wake, and internment, thereby helping the Filipino death care industry make the most out of an otherwise dire situation. This is the best time to be a Golden Havener as we are going all-in on making sure our clientele are well prepared and well taken cared of, the Alagang Golden way. This is the new normal, and we are committed to exceed your expectations for decades to come.
In a country like the Philippines where familial values are admirably strong, there is no right way to condole the people who lost their loved ones. There are no right words to show empathy towards the bereaved. But still, we must always remember that life and death are beyond us. And those whose lives we’ve lost during these trying times, as long as we remember them, will continue to live on in our minds and hearts. To be able to keep these memories living on is something that no pandemic can take away from us.
MALAYO MAN, MALAPIT DIN
Kaibigan, kahit nasaan ka man sa Pilipinas ay may malapit na Golden Haven sa lugar mo.
Get in touch with our team
AMADEO
Office Address: 2F Room 2, F & Z Building, J. Bayot St., Brgy. 3 Poblacion, Amadeo, Cavite
Contact Number: 0998-586-9532 / 0917-854-8005 • (046) 4435271
ANGELES
Office Address: Sitio Cabio Bakal,Brgy. Sapalibutad, Angeles City, Pampanga
Contact Number: 0917-850-7889 / 0919-074-3887
ANTIPOLO
Office Address: 2f, Mariana Bldg, No. 22 F. Mangobos St., Brgy. Poblacion 1, Bauan, Batangas
Contact Number: 0998-585-0795 / 0917-849-4099
BACOLOD
Office Address: 2F GMA Bldg., Cor. Rizal-Locsin Sts., Bacolod City
Contact Number: 0917-871-8243
BAUAN
Office Address: 2F, Mariana Bldg, No. 22 F. Mangobos St., Brgy. Poblacion 1, Bauan, Batangas
Contact Number: 0917-621-9771 / 0998-960-7121 • (043) 724 7079
BUKIDNON
Office Address: 2F Onda’s Bldg. (Metrobank), Sayre Highway, Bgry. 3, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon
Contact Number: 0919-083-5612 / 0917-872-9236 • (088) 813 1601
BULACAN
Office Address: 2F Dalisay-giron Bldg., Brgy. Maharlika, Quirino Highway, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan
Contact Number: 0998 960 7088 / 0917 571 6473
CAGAYAN DE ORO
Office Address: 2F Grace’s Bldg, Luna St. Cagayan De Oro City
Contact Number: 08822- 728084
CEBU
Office Address: 4F Ongtiak Bldg., Gen. Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City
Contact Number: 0917 886 2016 / 0999 887 3155 • (032) 255 0394
GENSAN
Office Address: 2nd Floor Mix & Magic Bldg., South Osmeña St., General Santos City
Contact Number: 0917-814-7559 / 0998-960-9715 • (083) 887-4692
ILOILO
Office Address: Mezzanine Flr, Atm Bldg, Cor. Jalandoni-ledesma St, Iloilo City
Contact Number: 0999 887 2928 / 0917 855 2921 • (033 )320 6505
IRIGA CITY
Office Address: Unit 1 G/F, LM Building, Zone 6, Guevara St., Brgy. Sto. Domingo, Iriga City
Contact Number: 0919 075 3736
ISABELA
Office Address: 2F Del Monte Bldg. Villasis Highway, Santiago City, Isabela
Contact Number: 0917 849 4076 / 0999 226 3307 • (078) 325 3121
LILIW
Office Address: Brgy. Calumpang, Liliw, Laguna
Contact Number: 0919 083 8654
MANAOAG
Office Address: 2/F JCJ Square Bldg., Rosario St., Brgy. Poblacion, Manaoag, Pangasinan
Contact Number: 0917 978 1976 / 0949 798 2031
NAGA
Office Address: GF Uniframe Aluminum Corp. Bldg., Maharlika Highway, Concepcion Pequeña, Naga City
Contact Number: 0917 828 8541 / 0999 226 8996
PADRE GARCIA
Office Address: 2F Pesigan Bldg. Poblacion, Padre Garcia, Batangas
Contact Number: 0917 880 5743
POZORRUBIO
Office Address: 2/F JCJ Square Bldg., Rosario St., Brgy. Poblacion, Manaoag, Pangasinan
Contact Number: 0917 978 1976 / 0949 798 2031
SAN FERNANDO
Office Address: 3F Vistamal,l Brgy. San Agustin, City Of San Fernand, Pampanga
Contact Number: 0955 097 6731 / 0922 250 4668
SARIAYA
Office Address: 2F Andal Bldg, Gen Luna St., Poblacion 2, Sariaya Quezon
Contact Number: 0917 830 5938 / 0999 226 5462
TAGUM
Office Address: 2nd Flr. EWB Bldg. Gante Rd. Brgy. Magugpo West, Tagum City
Contact Number: 0917-828-4527 or 0998-842-8979 • (084) 218-9967
ZAMBOANGA
Office Address: 2F HC Marketing Bldg., Veterans Ave., Zamboanga City
Contact Number: 0916 272 4765 / 0998 960 6716 • (062) 991 0799 / (062) 992 1885
CREDIT AND COLLECTIONS
Email: [email protected]
Phone Nos.: (02) 8873 2922 to 23
Mobile Nos.: 0917 849 40898 / 0999 226 3314
HR DEPARTMENT
Email: [email protected]
Phone Nos.: (02) 8873 2922 to 23
MEMORIAL CHAPELS AND CREMATORIUM – LAS PIÑAS
Office Address: Villar Sipag Complex, C-5 Extension Road, Las Pinas
Email: [email protected]
Phone Nos.: (02) 887-4742 | 887-3406
Mobile Nos.: 0917 586 6434
MEMORIAL CHAPELS – ANGELES
Office Address: Sitio Cabio Bakal, Brgy. Sapalibutad, City of Angeles, Pampanga
Mobile No.: 0919 064 8759f