PHOTO by ARNOLD ALMACEN/INQUIRER
One by one, items on the wishlist of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) for its officers deployed on Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) are being crossed out after some private companies donated bottles of sunblock, medicines, face towels, and shirts for the traffic cops.
But as donations pour in for the HPG, its leadership also encouraged the companies to extend their help to the personnel of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
“They (MMDA) are our partners in managing traffic on Edsa. We also have augmentation from the local police. The HPG cannot do this alone. We need their help,” HPG deputy director Senior Superintendent Sheldon Jacaban said during the turnover ceremony on Wednesday.
In a short ceremony at Camp Crame, RiteMed gave 200 medicine packs, DermPlus donated sachets of sunblock lotions, while K Servico Trade Inc. gave each 170 HPG men and women hygiene kits, which include a white V-neck shirt and a face towel.
The medicine packs, which are good for three months, included 200 ascorbic acid and 200 Vitamin B-Complex tablets, and 100 tablets of RiteMed Paramax for pain relief.
The donors responded to the HPG’s call and vowed to extend their services to the partners of HPG in reducing traffic congestion on Edsa.
Dr. Jun Pascual of the Philippine Dermatological Society said all 900 members of their organization will offer their services to the personnel of HPG, MMDA, and local police who will suffer from skin disorders.
“Traffic personnel are exposed to sun and as doctors, we can see how much they are sacrificing… Sa mga tao niyo na magkakaroon ng sakit, sa flood, sa ilalim ng araw, nandito po kami,” he said.
Pascual added they will give the HPG men, as well other traffic forces, the contact details of clinics where they could seek treatment.
Since the deployment of HPG officers on the congested highway, several members of the private sector have donated tents, rain gear, flashlights, and skin care products after HPG director Chief Superintendent Arnold Gunnacao appealed for material support to his men.
On HPG’s behalf, spokesperson Superintendent Oliver Tanseco thanked all those who donated products to the HPG. “You, the donors, are giving us strength. Our dedication is to bring back discipline on Edsa.” Julliane Love de Jesus/JE