Lysol partners with Philippine Red Cross, donates P36 million to COVID-19 mass testing efforts

MANILA, Philippines — Lysol Philippines has partnered with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) for "Disinfect to Protect," a joint mission to ensure everybody is protected from illnesses by breaking the chain of infection.

Through this endeavor, the disinfectant brand will donate P36 million to boost mass testing in support of government efforts. The donation will bring testing to the most vulnerable groups and will encourage Filipinos to sanitize their surroundings in order to protect them from disease-causing germs.

Half of the donation will be used to build a COVID-19 mass testing center in Cagayan De Oro City, to be known as the Philippine Red Cross Molecular Laboratory. The facility will have two polymerase chain reaction machines that can process 2,000 tests per day.

Lysol’s contribution will also be earmarked for the laboratory’s operations and maintenance costs, including the hiring of personnel.

The other half goes to the COVID-19 Samaritan Fund to shoulder processing fees in testing around 4,500 Filipinos from the most susceptible groups, including pregnant women, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions—especially in poor communities.

Lysol will also turn over P5-million worth of its products to help disinfect PRC sample collection areas, as well as testing laboratories, to keep frontline healthcare workers and communities protected against the 2019 novel coronavirus.

To break the chain of infection at the household level, the brand is also encouraging Filipinos to practice proper handwashing and regular cleaning and disinfecting of their surroundings, including frequently-touched surfaces at home and the workplace using disinfectant sprays and multi-purpose cleaners.

“We feel humbled to be partnering with the Philippine Red Cross in their efforts to strengthen the country’s COVID-19 testing capacity and expand its coverage to needy sectors of society. We want to keep the Philippines’ medical frontliners safe against an unseen enemy while creating awareness on the importance of hygiene and disinfection,” said Gonzalo Balcazar, generation manager of RB for South East Asia, Hygiene.

“More than ensuring protection from illness-causing germs, Lysol sees this partnership and our Disinfect to Protect mission as creating a bigger impact on various communities,” he added.

“We welcome Lysol as our partner in helping control the spread of COVID-19. They have invested most of their resources in studying pathogens and developing solutions that can kill these, so they know what we are up against and they how to help stop the infection,” said Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross.

To know more about the Disinfect to Protect mission, visit the Lysol Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/LysolPH) or Philippine Red Cross (https://www.facebook.com/phredcross).