By Raymund Antonio
The fund drive of Vice President Leni Robredo’s office ended with a bang, raising cash donations of P60 million for frontliners in the battle against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Even better was what Robredo witnessed: the goodness of Filipinos who have come together to help those affected by the pandemic.
Vice President Leni Robredo (OVP / MANILA BULLETIN)
“These, for me, are more than just numbers. They offer a glimpse of the goodness of the Filipino, proving that we respond to the worst of times with the best of ourselves,” Robredo said in a Facebook post.
“Sama-sama nating inaakay ang ating kapwa sa gitna ng takot at pangamba, at araw-araw tayong nagsisikap magbahagi ng pag-asa sa isa’t isa,” she added.
(We all together assist our fellow Filipinos in the midst of fear, and we try hard everyday to share hope with each other.)
Robredo’s office released to the public a detailed report on the public donations collected through the fund drive in cooperation with Kaya Natin! Movement, an Angat Buhay partner.
The OVP has delivered 108,300 personal protective equipment (PPE) sets and 10,624 food and care packages for the benefit of 7,220 frontliners from 945 institutions nationwide.
The report noted that 5,375 locally made PPE suits were distributed to frontliners, communities received 6,973 relief packs, and P7 million worth of hot meals and snacks were given to hospitals, checkpoints, shelters, and health centers.
Robredo said her office also allocated funds for extraction and test kits enough for the conduct of 22,750 coronavirus tests.
The fund drive for health workers and non-medical frontliners on April 30, but Robredo said they would continue to deliver the remaining PPE sets and food packs from public donations.
”The online fundraising drive may have come to a close, but a lot of work is still ahead of us. Together, we will keep looking out for our frontliners and our fellow Filipinos who need help at this time,” she said.
She expressed her gratitude to all partner-donors and those who helped her office in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
”We are grateful for the trust you have placed upon us. From all of us at the OVP: Maraming, maraming salamat po (Thank you very much),” she said.