HEEDING the call for a stronger front in the country’s fight against COVID-19, more companies have thrown their support behind efforts to quell the pandemic that has had crippling effects on the Philippines and other parts of the world. PPEs and free use of tollways for frontliners, facilitated cash donations, reliable movement of food for communities, and new hospital wards for the afflicted are among the latest relief measures.
Via fintech
PayMaya Philippines said it has raised more than P7.8 million in donations through its digital payments channels, with donations “growing rapidly by the day.”
People with credit, debit, and prepaid cards, as well as PayMaya accounts, can donate via the website or the PayMaya app to the following organizations: Philippine Red Cross, UNICEF, PGH Medical Foundation, Caritas Manila, OXFAM Pilipinas, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance & Ethical Leadership, Ronald McDonald House of Charities Phlippines, YesPinoy Foundation, Alagang Kapatid Foundation, PLDT-Smart Foundation, Rock Ed Philippines, UTownPen Foundation, #nowheretogobutUP Foundation, and the #UniTENTweStandPH initiative of actress Angel Locsin.
Handwashing campaign
The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of the Aboitiz family, has partnered with the Cebu City government and the Metropolitan Cebu Water District for #HUNAW (Cebuano for “to wash one’s hands”), a handwashing campaign launched as an intervention to fight the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With #HUNAW, RAFI aims to provide such facilities and raise awareness of the importance of proper handwashing through the deployment of portable sinks called “Hunawan Stations” at bus terminals, parking lots, jeepney stops, and other places where people convene around the city.
A prototype Hunawan Station is currently installed outside the RAFI Building in Cebu City for a trial run. The #HUNAW campaign is set for an initial run of one month which started last March 26.
RAFI will also deploy a roving “Hunawan Truck” with a sink facility and loudspeakers to Cebu City’s underserved areas to address the hygiene concerns in densely-populated informal settlements.
Free toll
The country’s tollways operators— San Miguel Corp., Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), and Ayala Corp. said frontliners can use their toll roads for free for the duration of the quarantine.
San Miguel operates the STAR Tollway, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway, NAIAX, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).
To avail of the toll-free privilege, medical personnel need to secure a special RFID sticker from SMC Tollways, or have their existing RFID sticker converted, which can be done through the temporary booths the company set up, initially, at the Shell Magallanes gas station and the NAIA expressway (NAIAx) toll gate.
MPTC meanwhile operates the North Luzon Expressway, NLEX Harbor Link, Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), Manila Cavite expressway, Cavite Laguna expressway ,and C5 South Link.
NLEX and SCTEx have remained partially open to facilitate unhampered movement of essential goods and transit of medical workers amid the Luzon-wide quarantine.
Grace period extended
Insular Life (InLife) further extends the grace period from 60 days as previously announced, to 91 days. InLife policyholders with individual insurance whose premiums are due February 15 to May 31, 2020, will have a grace period of 91 days.
InLife has assured the public that the company is able to provide continuous service to its policyholders even during these times of uncertainty through the InLife Customer Portal for the individual policyholders and the Group Client Portal for its corporate clients.
For corporate clients, the company accepts premium payments, as well as claims for death, accident, hospitalization and retirement benefits, process them and pay out the benefits through the claimant’s bank account. The company can also issue Letters of Authority for the hospitalization of members of Group Hospitalization Insurance policyholders with updated Special Hospital Arrangements.
Insular Health Care (IHC), the health maintenance organization subsidiary of Insular Life is also covering claims of COVID-19 cases, as the company’s corporate responsibility effort to the rising cases of COVID-19 infection.
Donations to communities, financial support to employees
The D&L group of companies has committed over P100 million as financial support to employees and donations to various communities and institutions for the effort to fight COVID-19.
D&L earlier committed to pay full salaries until the end of the enhanced community quarantine on April 13 to all its employees whether they are physically present in the office or are working from home. In addition, the company has already released half of the 13th month pay to employees last March 17.
D&L plants remain operational in order to prevent any disruption in the supply of much needed raw materials in the food and sanitation chemicals industry.
D&L is providing additional compensation to rank and file employees included in the company’s skeletal workforce.
PGH retrofitted wards completed in five days
D.M. Consunji Inc. has completed the retrofitting of two wards inside the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) into a COVID-19 referral center.
The medical facility, which will house confirmed COVID-19 patients and high-risk persons under investigation, was formally turned over to UP-PGH over the weekend.
The UP-PGH COVID-19 referral center is one of three government-designated coronavirus referral hospitals in the National Capital Region. It has “negative pressure” rooms that suck in contaminated air, ventilators and separate access points for patients and medical staff.
DM Consunji said its workers “rushed to complete the project in five days in response to PGH’s tight deadline.”
Moving food across the metro
2GO Group Inc. has delivered 125,000 food packs to communities in partnership with City of Dreams.
“2GO is in full support of our government’s initiatives to fight the spread of this virus. We believe it is our responsibility to help where we can to mitigate the impact of the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) brought about by COVID-19. By providing the vital transportation required to move food packs containing rice, canned goods, noodles and water to families in depressed areas around Metro Manila, we hope to enable essential goods reach the most in need. We continue to be Ready2GO to support wherever we can to combat this national challenge,” 2GO Group said.
J&T Express has kept operating in order to help mobilize goods around the metropolis.
J&T Express said its staff, riders, and deliverymen are well-equipped with the knowledge on health and safety procedures set by the authorities to ensure safety. Foods for frontlines
Meals for frontliners
McDonald’s Philippines said it has committed to serve 50,000 meals to frontliners during the quarantine.
The largest global fastfood chain said it has opened its McDo Kindness Kitchen through its Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), the charity of choice of McDonald’s Philippines.
Each McDo Kindness Kitchen produces 1,500 meals a day, prepared by restaurant crew and managers, and employee volunteers.
McDonald’s said RMHC is now accepting cash donations from individual and corporate donors which can cover costs for a meal worth P50per person. These meals are offered at cost.
Binalot had been sending free meal to frontliners since the quarantine was implemented. The company said this is part of its corporate social initiative Dahon Program. Binalot had five strategic outlets open to service the needs of this endeavor.
Masks for barangay frontliners
Republic Cement has tapped a local partner women’s cooperative, the Asosasyong Katuwang sa Pangkabuhayan ng Bilogo (AKAP) to sew 1,000 cloth masks for the benefit of local frontliners and residents in the 20 barangays of Taysan, Batangas.
Through this project, Republic was able to provide a source of income and livelihood to community members affected by the current pandemic.
