MANILA, Philippines — The SM Group has allocated P100 million to support the government’s efforts to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.
In a statement, SM Prime’s Hans Sy said SM will donate personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies to government hospitals.
“To ensure the safety of medical frontliners, SM is bringing in personal protective equipment (PPE) – face masks, gowns, visors, hoods, gloves, and shoe covers, as well as urgent medical supplies to help government hospitals who badly need them,” Sy said.
He said assistance has also been extended to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and the Research Institute for Tropical Management (RITM) for their urgent needs and for improving their laboratory testing capacity.
PPE and medical supplies have also been given to the UP Medical Foundation Inc. to reach a wider network of hospitals.
“To improve availability of tests, SM has reached out to Manila Healthtek Inc. to distribute 20,000 tests for free to government hospitals, once approved for use,” itSm Prime’s statement added.
In light of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the entire island of Luzon under “enhanced community quarantine.”
BREAKING: Luzon now under ‘enhanced community quarantine’ – Palace
Several mall operators, including SM Supermalls, have also announced the temporary closure of their establishments in Manila amid the new restrictions imposed by the national government.
Metro Manila malls temporarily shuttered in compliance with community quarantine