Private sector raises P1.7 billion in COVID fight

MANILA, Philippines — The private sector has so far raised P1.7 billion in funds to bring help to residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces of Luzon affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Carlito Galvez Jr., also chief implementer of the national action plan of the task force against COVID-19, said the money will be used to help some 1.5 million families. 

“Filipinos have been exceptional in helping, especially in a time of crisis. The private sector has been at the forefront of projects that assist our countrymen in need,” he said in Filipino at a press briefing Sunday night.

Through “Project Ugnayan,” a feeding program for indigent families, Galvez said the private sector raised P1.7 billion to help 1.5 million families in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna.

To date, he announced that the private sector initiative has sent help to some five million Filipinos through five distribution channels which include Caritas Manila, ABS-CBN, Jollibee, a collaborative project between the Asian Development Bank and government, and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) which also serves as the project’s secretariat.

“Bayanihan and malasakit is very much alive. To everyone helping with Project Ugnayan, we thank you very much,” Galvez said.

 He added that the Indian community and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has also donated 75,000 N95 masks, and 75,000 N88 masks worth P12 million for COVID-19 frontliners.

Sen. Joel Villanueva said yesterday the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) should not dissuade grassroots fund-raising activities by individuals seeking to help indigent members of their communities, as such efforts help expand the coverage of government-funded relief.

Instead of threatening to run after people behind fund-raising activities on social media, Villanueva suggested the DSWD exercise leniency and let grassroots fund-raising drives secure the necessary permits after the government has lifted the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.

Project Ugnayan

Launched on March 19, Project Ugnayan is a collaborative effort among 56 private business establishments and the families who run them.

Businessman Fernando Zobel de Ayala, one of the donors of Project Ugnayan, said the project’s principal distributor, Caritas Manila, has so far provided P1,000 worth of grocery gift certificates and vouchers to 651,799 families, or 3.26 million individuals, through house-to-house visits.

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN had delivered food packages to 179,078 families, or an estimated 895,390 individuals, through local government units (LGUs) under its Pantawid ng Pag-Ibig Project.

Jollibee, through its Food-AID Project, also donated P100 million to indigent families and has delivered ready-to-cook chicken packs to 146,212 families, or 731,060 beneficiaries.

For its part, the ADB, in collaboration with the government, distributed aid to 8,030 families or 40,150 individuals through its Bayan, Bayanihan! Project.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines, which has been operating back-to-back cargo flights since the start of the enhanced community quarantine, yesterday transported medical equipment and essential medical cargo requested by the Philippine Red Cross from Changsha, capital of Hunan province in China, to Manila.

PAL cargo flights from China carry medical supplies such as PPE, face masks and medicines, while PAL cargo flights to Japan carry auto parts and electronics. Domestic cargo operations fly medical supplies to various cities in the country such as Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Tacoban and Tagbilaran. 

Aside from Project Ugnayan, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation Inc., Zuellig Pharma, ABS-CBN, Metro Drug, and Go Negosyo launched the Kaagapay: Protect our Healthcare Heroes Project which aims to raise over P100 million to provide the necessary medical equipment to the nation’s frontliners.

The ongoing fundraising initiative seeks to provide 50 ventilators and 30,000 personal protective equipment for the healthcare sector. – With Paolo Romero, Jose Rodel Clapano, Rudy Santos