Three home improvement retailers and drugstores in the city have joined forces to donate some 1,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) and 7,500 surgical masks for use of medical professionals and health care personnel in various Palawan hospitals.
Budget Home Depot, Drugman Drugstore, and William Tan Enterprises teamed up to make the donation Saturday for the Ospital ng Palawan (ONP), Adventist Hospital Palawan (AHP), Palawan MMG Cooperative Hospital, City Health Office, Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital in Brooke’s Point, and Northern Palawan Provincial Hospital in Taytay.
Vincent Tan of Budget Home Depot said hospital frontliners face critical shortages of PPE that is why their group wants to help protect them from getting COVID-19.
“Araw-araw nakikita natin na people are complaining, The doctors and hospitals are complaining na we do not have enough gears to attend to this situation. Kaya naisip namin na kung kami ay tutulong,” Tan said.
“Sabi namin, let’s do our part, diyan tayo makakatulong so ito, tinawagan ko itong relatives ko, sabi ko if we can pull in funds and distribute, agad-agad naman they agreed,” he added.
The sets of PPE and surgical masks were given by the donors personally to medical frontliners in different hospitals.
The turnover was attended by Vincent Tan, Pamela Tan, Engr. Lorenzo Tan, and Elizabeth Joy Tan of Budget Home Depot; Dr. Jonathan Lao of Drugman and Atty. John Kenneth Tan of William Tan Enterprises; and local business owners and members of the Puerto Princesa City Chamber of Commerce (PPCCC).
Dr. Jonathan Lao of Drugman, also one of the donors, said that the most important thing during this fight against the pandemic is to help by any means possible.
As Palaweños, Lao said they want to lessen the burden of the medical frontliners and health care providers.
“Hindi naman importante iyong laki ng tulong basta lahat ng puwede natin gawin to help fight this pandemic, iyan ang pinakaimportante,” he said.
“So we started with giving food muna and then may nagbigay sa amin ng alcohol. We were thinking of yong mas need nila na kaya namin ibigay pero di makaya ibigay ng iba,” Lao added.
Lao said that it is a continuous process and they are always open to help.
“Of course, continuous process talaga ito. Malamang naman, it wouldn’t end here. If we can identify or if anyone suggests anything else that we could help within our capabilities, we are always willing to help,” he said.
Tan also reminded residents that the biggest help they could give to the fight is to support by not putting the blame or pointing finger at anyone.
He said medical frontliners and other volunteers can be protected by the residents if they follow the enhanced community quarantine policies, such as following physical distancing measures, wearing face masks, and most importantly, staying at home to stop the virus from spreading.
“Imbes na we just keep on pointing fingers kung sino ba sasagot nito, kanino ba dapat ito. We could not just sit, we should do our part kasi mukhang mahaba-haba pa ito. Kahit na mag-general community quarantine tayo, the question is hindi pa talaga tayo nagma-mass testing, are we really sure di ba,” he said.
“Marami pa negosyante ang nandyan, I know they are also capable. So, I hope in that way, we could make an impact na everyone would come out and would help, do their part,” Tan said.
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