Canada donates 837,000 face masks to Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Canada is providing 837,000 non-medical respirator face masks to the Department of Health (DOH) as part of its commitment to support and protect health care workers and first responders as they deliver public health services to the most vulnerable amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Canada is collaborating closely with the government of the Philippines and regional partners in the fight against COVID-19,” Canada’s Ambassador Peter MacArthur said.

MacArthur formally turned over the donation’s first tranche consisting of 422,000 face masks to DOH officials in Manila.

“Our collaboration includes close engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its member states to support a coordinated and multilateral effort aimed at limiting and ending the pandemic,” he said.

The masks, valued at Cad$3.41 million – approximately P136 million – were provided through a partnership between the government of Canada, the ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN member states that aims to mitigate biological threats, including those resulting from the COVID 19 pandemic.

Since 2013, the partnership has been working on strengthening biological security, biological safety and disease surveillance capabilities in the region, according to MacArthur.

“Building on this longstanding partnership, Canada has provided additional support to ASEAN partners to combat the COVID pandemic. This includes donating nine and a half million units of personal protective equipment or PPE and non-medical masks to the ASEAN Secretariat and seven member states, including the 837,000 masks for the Philippines,” the envoy said.

In September 2020, Canada also turned over 120,000 N95 masks to the DOH as part of the bilateral assistance that Canada pledged to the Philippines in the fight against COVID-19.