BATAC CITY – The Consulate of the People’s Republic of China in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte on Friday donated 11 boxes of face masks to the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) to be used by its front-liners in the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Consul Zhou Yubin turned over the boxes containing 20,000 surgical masks and 1,500 face masks to MMSU president Shirley Agrupis in a simple ceremony in front of the Ferdinand E. Marcos Hall.
Zhou said the face masks serve as an added protective equipment of the students, faculty, and personnel of the university, adding that such donation is one way of thanking the university for sustaining good relations with the consulate in the province.
“That is why I always keep in mind on how to continue this healthy collaboration with MMSU, especially in this time of the pandemic,” he said.
Agrupis thanked the consulate for its generosity to the people of Ilocos Norte and to the employees of MMSU as she promised to explore other areas of collaboration between the university and the Chinese consulate.
“Since we offer English Language course in MMSU, we will highly appreciate it if you can help us connect with Chinese universities who are willing to learn English online,” she said, adding that the university is also looking for faculty members who can teach Mandarin to its students.
The consulate earlier gave 1,000 surgical face masks and 20 goggles, and 80 sets of coverall suits to the university last April and July, respectively.
MMSU and the Chinese Consulate in Laoag started its collaborative partnership years ago, where some universities in China opened academic opportunities for MMSU faculty members.
The MMSU has also started to participate in various events of the Chinese Consulate as a showcase of camaraderie and friendship with the neighboring country.