Vice President Leni Robredo is once again sending out personal protective equipment (PPE) to Metro Manila hospitals that have seen a spike in coronavirus disease cases. 

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has started to increase its distribution of PPEs to various hospitals and medical institutions in the capital region, giving a total of 13,350 daily sets of PPEs and 1,200 reusable protective suits since March 11, a statement from her office said. 

“Ngayon na may surge, mas naging urgent siya, kasi nakita naman natin iyong numbers sa Manila. Nakita natin iyong numbers sa Manila. Medyo alarming siya (Now that there is a surge, it is more urgent because we have seen the numbers in Manila. We saw the numbers in Manila. It is quite alarming),” Robredo said. 

Initially, the OVP sent the PPEs and reusable protective suits to major hospitals and institutions in Quezon City, but her office said they have since then started distributing medical supplies to the whole of Metro Manila. 

So far, Robredo’s office sent 1,100 pieces of surgical masks, 1,100 pieces of face shields, 550 pieces of head covers, 110 pieces of medical gowns, and 44 gallons of disinfectants to several health institutions. 

The surge of COVID-19 cases in the country, particularly in Metro Manila, should be a wake-up call to the government as Robredo reiterated her “call for urgent action” in rolling out the available vaccines to the priority groups.

“So ganoon kahalaga iyong vaccines ngayon, kasi iyon talaga iyong isa sa malalaking dahilan—hindi siya iyong only chance natin, pero siya iyong isang malaking dahilan para mabago natin iyong trajectory (That’s how important the vaccines are now because that’s the biggest reason—it is not our only chance but it is one of the ways to change the trajectory),” Robredo said. 

The OVP has provided various forms of assistance to health workers and non-medical frontliners since COVID-19 hit the country last year. It distributed PPEs and food and care packages, as well as provided free shuttle services and dormitories. 

More than PPEs

Robredo’s office also allocated funds to purchase test kits for testing centers and laboratories in several provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in its bid to boost the government’s testing capacity. 

During her visit to Iloilo, Robredo went to the Uswag Iloilo Molecular Laboratory and the soon-to-rise Iloilo City COVID-19 Laboratory that received a P4.5 million grant from her office through the city government for the purchase of its equipment.

“This is part of the OVP’s continuing efforts to support LGUs in their COVID response,” her office said in a separate statement. 

In October 2020, VP Leni’s office turned over extraction and detection kits to Iloilo City and Iloilo province worth P4.9 million and P2 million, respectively, “to help in COVID testing being done by the local governments.”