It’s been three weeks since the Luzon community quarantine to stem the spread of COVID-19 started, and as front liners keep trying to stem the pandemic, more and more companies and groups are helping their fight by donating much-needed protective equipment and other supplies. Here’s a partial list of those who have donated to the cause.

SM FOUNDATION

SM Foundation has begun distributing “over P170 million”-worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to over 50 hospitals nationwide including the Philippine General Hospital, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the Lung Center of the Philippines. The medical supplies being donated include ICU-grade ventilators and COVID-19 test kits including those developed by the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Sciences.

GRAB

Ride-hailing service Grab Philippines announced that it has raised P5 million so far for the Philippine Red Cross through the ongoing donation drive in the app. Grab also distributed P14 million worth of groceries and medicines to 40,000 of its driver-partners. The amount was raised from donations from “its employees, corporate partners and communities.” It has distributed 30,000 safety kits containing face masks and 2,000 bottles of alcohol. The company also announced that it activated 1,600 driver-partners as they temporarily transitioned as GrabFood and GrabExpress partners.

On March 30, Grab announced that it gave its Grab drivers emergency support funds and that the Department of Trade and Industry will be extending small and medium enterprise (SME) loans to the drivers. It is also working with the Land Transportation Franchise Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to see which driver-partners are eligible to be included in the social amelioration program.

Grab Philippines said it will donate 200 electric scooters (61 have been successfully donated) to local government units (LGUs) and deploy a car fleet to help with food and medical distribution. It is also donating 20,000 face masks to health front liners and LGUs.

OYO HOTELS

Hotel chain OYO reopened 24 properties in several cities in Mindanao to support frontliners “engaged in the delivery of medical and other vital services during the Covid-19 pandemic.” The company dedicated 500 rooms for front liners “with discounts of up to 40% from the posted rate.”

Participating establishments include Humberto’s Hotel, Davao Airport View Hotel, Sunny Point Hotel, The West Inn, Dad’s Bayview Pension, Deck 360 Dormitel, Braveheart Residency, Anisabel Suites, Capital Asrodel, Circle B Suites, Chateau Cinco, D’ Abirus Inn, Yellow Pad, Sharana Pensionne, and Capital World Palace.

OKADA MANILA

Okada Manila, through its Okada Foundation, pledged P25 million to the Lung Center of the Philippines and another P25 million to the Philippine Heart Center. The donations will be used to procure “items needed by both institutions to address the COVID-19 pandemic.”

UNIVERSAL ROBINA CORPORATION (URC)

URC donated Biaxially-oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) films to hospitals including the Philippine Heart Center and the Philippine General Hospital to serve as a protective barrier between patients and healthcare workers in the hospitals’ triage, examination areas, diagnostic areas, and operation rooms. The film is commonly used as packaging for consumer products.

TRIBU VERDE LA SALLE GREENHILLS

Members of Tribu Verde from La Salle Greenhills High School batch 1981 started a fundraising drive for frontliners and are aiming to raise P500,000 to provide masks and PPEs to frontliners and their families.

De La Salle University and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde meanwhile, are currently giving shelter to about 150 homeless individuals in Manila. La Salle Greenhills also opened its campus to house front liners from nearby The Medical City.

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