BY ROY MABASA
The United States government, through the US Army and Marine Corps, on Monday announced the delivery of P11.4 million (US$230,600) worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to various hospitals in 11 cities across the Philippines to support frontline health workers in the fight against the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
“This latest delivery of US government assistance for Filipino frontliners in the battle against COVID-19 is a testament to our ongoing commitment to help the Philippines defeat the pandemic,” said US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim said in a statement.
According to the US Embassy, the new donation brings the total US government COVID-19 assistance to the Philippines to P989 million (more than $20 million).
In partnership with the Philippine Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard and the Office of Civil Defense, the US Army and Marine Corps personally delivered the PPEs and other much-needed essential equipment to support Filipino frontline workers in medical clinics from Luzon to Mindanao.
The Embassy said this joint US- Philippine effort builds on decades of bilateral military cooperation in counter-terrorism, humanitarian relief, maritime security, and many other fields.
Philippine Coast Guard District Palawan chief Commodore Allan Corpuz, Jr said, “We are but one in this unconventional war against this pandemic. We are immensely grateful for your untiring service and support to our nation.”
Over the past two decades, Washington has provided more than P228 billion ($4.5 billion) in development assistance to the Philippines, including over P29 billion ($582 million) in health assistance. (Roy C. Mabasa)
