ABS-CBN Corp. announced Friday the furlough or temporary layoff of employees of subsidiary Kidzania Manila—an interactive entertainment center for children in Taguig City amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
The media conglomerate said Kidzania Manila, which provides learning experience for children ages 4 to 17, had been closed since March 11, 2020 before the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine as part of safety measures to prevent the virus spread.
ABS-CBN said the play city would also remain closed following the new declaration of modified enhanced community quarantine in the National Capital Region starting May 16.
It said that with the eventual shift to general community quarantine, KidZania Manila would also open during this period, as current GCQ guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force still prohibit those in the kids industry from operating; ban entertainment-related mass gatherings; and forbid children from leaving their homes
“The successive extensions of the quarantine have adversely affected the company,” ABS-CBN said.
“After serious discernment, Play Innovations Inc., the franchisee of KidZania Manila, has decided to file a temporary suspension of operations with the Department of Labor and Employment effective June 16 to Aug. 15, 2020, to manage and mitigate further losses to the business while exploring new revenue solutions,” ABS-CBN said.
It said that while Kidzania’s operations were suspended, the company would “assist the employees who will be in furlough by providing them financial assistance and health insurance benefits.”
The company did not provide the number of employees that would be affected.
“We thank our employees, industry partners and Kals for their patience and understanding,” ABS-CBN said.
Kidzania generated P351 million in revenues with 214,000 visitors as of end-November 2019. ABS-CBN invested P1.16 billion to construct Kidzania Manila in Fort Bonifacio.
