THE Aboitiz Group immediately mobilized its resources and donated critically-needed medical supplies and resources for health and security workers across the country amid the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
“The Aboitiz Group is one with the government and our brave medical and security frontliners who are working hard to defeat COVID-19. We are committed to supporting the COVID-19 frontliners for the long term. Rest assured, we will continue to find ways to help our fellow Filipinos whose health and lives are at risk due to this pandemic,” said Sabin M. Aboitiz, Aboitiz Group president and chief executive officer.
On Mar. 18, N95 masks were turned over to the Department of Health (5,000 masks) and to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (700 masks).
Outside Metro Manila, the Aboitiz Group aims to send surgical gloves, infrared thermometers, folding beds, nitrate and latex gloves, N95 masks, laboratory and disposable goggles, personal protective equipment (PPE) gowns, and tents.
A portion of these will be turned over to security checkpoints of the Philippine Army and Philippine National Police and to local governments in Cebu, Davao, Iligan City, Capas, Tarlac and other parts of Luzon. These checkpoints are manned by personnel whose health is also at risk as they work during the national state of calamity due to COVID-19.
Aboitiz food business unit Pilmico will also donate, through the Aboitiz Foundation, surgical masks to hospitals in Cebu, Tarlac, Iligan City, and Cagayan de Oro. As an added boost to the frontliners, the company also pledged to donate bread packs to police and military checkpoints and hospitals in Capas, Tarlac and Iligan City. These items will help address the urgent nutritional needs of personnel implementing the community quarantines in these areas.
Meantime UnionBank, the banking and financial services arm of the Aboitiz Group, is also providing support to frontliners by partnering with Caritas Manila. It is also working on the procurement of medical ventilators as proactive assistance to government hospitals, which might see a spike in patients needing respiratory aid, especially for patients testing positive for COVID-19.
Identified by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases as one of the basic services that should remain open during the enhanced community quarantine, branches of UnionBank and its subsidiary CitySavings are open to serve customers nationwide while strictly implementing social distancing and health precautionary measures. UnionBank is encouraging its customers to use the bank’s mobile app and other digital banking services as the most effective and efficient way to do bank errands during this time.
UnionBank is one of the first banks to waive online Instapay transfer fees until Apr. 14. UnionBank is also offering a 30-day extension with no late fees for credit cards, housing loans, auto loans, and quick loans to qualified customers.
All these efforts are part of the Aboitiz Group’s commitment to help the government in enforcing COVID-19 precautionary measures by addressing the immediate concerns of courageous frontliners and the communities the Aboitiz Group serves.
Fundraising through KINDer
The Aboitiz Foundation also immediately set up a COVID-19 fundraising page (Help Our Health Workers Fight COVID-19) through the online donations platform KINDer by Aboitiz (KINDer.aboitiz.com).
This donation page will help raise funds for PPE in coordination with the University of the Philippines Medical Foundation and The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service Foundation.
Readers are encouraged to donate as this effort will go a long way in the fight against COVID-19.
Last March 17, Luzon was placed under an enhanced community quarantine until April 13 as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
Under the Luzon enhanced community quarantine, the Aboitiz Group has taken precautionary measures to ensure its team members’ welfare such as the implementation of a Work From Home Scheme and advanced salary release. They are in addition to provisions of digital channels for business continuity, workplace sanitation, and constant and regular reminders on proper hygiene measures as well as travel and social distancing guidelines./PN
