THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said it has opened its multi-purpose hall to serve as living quarters for frontliners from the Medical City.
Initially, 32 frontliners from the hospital were welcomed by Meralco to stay for as long as they needed, providing them beddings, amenity kits, home-cooked hot meals four times per day, refrigerator, microwave, exercise equipment, shower and toilet facilities, internet access, 30 Smart SIM cards, including a TV with Netflix.
Quarantine facility
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) have partnered to complete the 300-bed mega-treatment facility at Philippine Arena in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest large-scale health and safety initiative made available by the Iglesia Ni Cristo in Ciudad de Victoria, Bocaue, Bulacan, will be completed today, on schedule.
The facilities will be turned over to the Inter Agency Task Force on COVID-19 medical teams. It will also be available for returning overseas Filipino workers who will be required to undergo mandatory quarantine.
Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. through NLEX Corp., will provide special and exclusive access along the North Luzon Expressway to the Philippine Arena quarantine center for the IATF quarantine teams and medical support groups. Toll-free passage will also be given to all medical frontliners, ambulances, medical service vans and the support team buses of the Department of Health.
To ensure efficient and safe movement of vehicles within the area, NLEX will likewise assist in traffic management and 24 x 7 monitoring via its CCTV system. Roving patrol crews, emergency response and engineering teams will be on standby to ensure hassle-free motorist access between the NLEX and the quarantine facility.
Meralco will install eight concrete poles and nine distribution transformers to energize the three mega tents. The electric distribution utility company will also waive the installation and dismantling costs and ensure the continuous flow of electricity to these temporary structures.
Maynilad Water and subsidiary Philippine Hydro Inc. will provide free metering works for the water supply requirements of the quarantine sites. They will also render technical assistance and support on water supply-related concerns.
To support the quarantine center’s communication requirements, PLDT wireless arm Smart Communications will equip the center with free Wi-Fi services and enable medical frontliners and patients alike to be online.
The MVP group has been actively involved in supporting frontliners and local government units during this pandemic. Its contributions to the Philippine Arena quarantine facilities are part of its series of anti-COVID-19 initiatives.
Fund raising
PepsiCo and its philanthropic arm, PepsiCo Foundation, have contributed $500,000 (P25.4 million) along with top business groups to raise more than $30 million (1.6 billion) towards Project Ugnayan.
The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), Caritas Manila and its partners are implementing Project Ugnayan to reach over 12.5 million individuals and deliver assistance to Metro Manila’s vulnerable communities, with approximately 100 million meals by April 30.
This is in line with PepsiCo’s “Give Meals Give Hope” and “Millions of Meals” initiatives that were recently rolled out in Vietnam, Thailand, India, and Pakistan.
PepsiCo’s business partners Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. and distributor Benby Enterprises Inc. also donated various in-kind products and tents to checkpoints and hospitals.
PepsiCo’s relief efforts in the Philippines are part of its global commitment to invest U$$45 million globally to bring food and other vital resources to the most affected communities.
