A Bataan-based company will supply five million face masks mostly for health workers for the months of March and April amid efforts to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez announced Wednesday.
To boost the country’s supply of protective items, Lopez said they have sourced two million surgical masks for this month and another three million for next month. The Trade department plans to seek additional supplies for the health workers and the public in the coming months.
“Aside from what Department of Health is getting from various sources, we’re supplying DoH and the public by talking to the supplier based here in Bataan and that we have made arrangement that they will supply Philippines two million face masks for the rest of March and another two million for April,” he said.
“We will have another request to increase the preposition and allotment for the Philippines since we recognize even these numbers are not enough to provide all Filipinos,” he added.
Out of the March supply of face masks, he said 300,000 masks have been delivered to the Health department and 100,000 more will be supplied yesterday.
Lopez said the “bigger quantity” of face masks is forthcoming after a delay in the local supplier’s previous commitment of 1.6 million face masks.
The Trade chief also made clear that bulk of the supplies will be delivered to health workers fighting in the front lines against the coronavirus outbreak.
“Ngayon ginawang five million. Ngayon pa lang natin makikita itong parating bigger quantity,” he said. “Even looking at this quantity naka-prioritize pa rin itong sa DoH at Red Cross for health workers. ‘Yung ma-allocate sa drug stores kaunti na lang po.” he said. (Genalyn Kabiling)