US Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff turned over to Caloocan City Mayor Dale "Along" Malapitan the US government's donations of hygiene kits and other Covid-19 supplies to further boost the Philippines’ efforts in fighting the disease during his visit to the city on Monday, Nov. 21.
Emhoff, husband of visiting US Vice President Kamala Harris, said the US government, through the USAID, has allotted an additional US$5 million funding for the Philippine’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
The assistance will support the country’s Covid-19 vaccine distribution for children and adults in line with the Philippine government’s efforts to intensify the country’s wall of immunity, he added.
Malapitan, in receiving the hygiene kits and other Covid-19 supplies, assured city residents that the local government is focused on providing the best possible health care programs for the children as face-to-face classes resume in the city.
He said this during a program held at the Gregoria De Jesus Elementary School in the city on Monday, where the national government, through the Department of Health (DOH), and the United States government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), expressed a strengthened partnership to eliminate Covid-19 and tubercolosis (TB) for the safe return of learners to schools.
Aside from Emhoff, DOH Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, US Ambassador to the Philippines Marykay Loss Carson, USAID Mission Director Ryan Washburn, officials from the USAID, DOH and the Department of Education (Deped) attended the event.
In his speech, Malapitan admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought several challenges in the city. However, the local government acted swiftly to create a healthcare system and other initiatives to lessen its impact, including the transition of classes to blended learning for the children.
“Our vision as a local government is highly focused on the welfare of the youth, and with the full implementation of the face-to-face classes, we are doing our best to assure that children are safe in their pursuit of learning,” Malapitan said.
“With all the classes transitioning to in-person, there will be new challenges to overcome, and I hope you will all face it with eagerness,” he added.
According to the USAID, the US government has provided nearly US$50 million in Covid-19 response assistance and donated over 33 million vaccine doses to the Philippines since the start of the pandemic.
Emhoff also said that over the past 10 years, the USAID has provided more than P7.5 billion for the country’s initiatives to eliminitate TB.
He also led the turnover ceremony of around 1,000 hygiene kits for the city, along with Malapitan and DOH Secretary Vergeire.
DOH OIC Vergeire congratulated Malapitan for the city’s excellent implementation of Covid-19 response and other health programs.
She also thanked the US government for assisting the Philippines in responding to Covid-19.
Emhoff and Vergeire, along with the city mayor, also distributed “Tibay ng Dibdib” story books to the Grade 3 pupils of Gregoria De Jesus Elementary School. The book was based on the true story of two Filipino children who fought and recovered from tuberculosis through the help of the national government and other institutions.
The USAID is the world's premier international development agency that works to help lift lives, build communities, and advance democracy, according to usaid.gov.