BACOLOD CITY –– In response to the COVID-19 crisis and the scarcity of ethyl alcohol, Victorias Milling Co. (VMC) is going full blast in its alcohol production immediately after the company was granted permits by government agencies.
”We finally got our clearance from the Food and Drug Administration and the Bureau of Internal Revenue to produce ethyl alcohol that is badly needed in response to the COVID-19 situation,” said Minnie Chua, VMC president.
“There was a shortage of such, specifically in Negros Occidental, after supplies became compromised due to logistical difficulty. Thus, we, at VMC, decided to utilize our distillery for this very purpose during this period,” he added.
Since the crisis began, VMC has donated over 20,000 liters of alcohol to all the local government units in Negros Occidental and even to neighboring Panay Island.
Chua said the priority would be government hospitals, particularly those that are COVID-19-designated, as well as local governments, and other frontliners, like the military and the police.
VMC also donated rice, canned goods, and thermal scanners to various local governments. They are also procuring personal protective equipment to further assist healthcare workers.
The company also continues to operate the sugar mills and their other subsidiaries but have done so on a skeletal force in support of the Enhanced Community Quarantine directive of the provincial government.
“While it is business as usual, we have set up various measures, both emergency and preventive, to protect, not only our workforce but the clients we serve. We are one with the nation in praying that this crisis will end soon. ” Chua said.