Original article courtesy of Manila Bulletin
By: Mario Casayuran
The Filipino-Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCCF) today supported the efforts of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in fighting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic through a cash donation amounting to P15 million.
PRC Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Senator Richard J. Gordon said the donation would be used for the construction and commissioning of a biomolecular laboratory in one of the Red Cross’ testing centers in Metro Manila.
“They have donated one full-pledged laboratory. We will have additional machines and additional extractors; we’ll have four machines and two RNAs, so we will have 20,000 testing capacity per day for this building alone, which I expect to be built in the next ten days,” he said.
During the contract signing and turnover of donation, Cecilio Pedro, vice president of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII), said: “We believe in what the senator is doing currently which is to test as many as possible so we will know what is the real score in the COVID-19 pandemic that we are facing. It is a pleasure to be part of this deal and participating in this very important mission of bringing down the curve, so to speak, para maging normal ulit ang Pilipinas and our economy will hopefully grow after this.” (So that the Philippines will go back to normal.)
Michael Tan, another vice president of FFCCCII, likewise, expressed the organization’s support for the PRC’s efforts to get the public tested for the virus.
“We fully support what Senator Gordon and Red Cross is doing by providing more PCR testing capacity. So, the Filipino-Chinese community is hand-in-hand with the Red Cross and the senator’s efforts to help our people,” he said.
The FCCCF is composed of 11 Filipino-Chinese organizations that was formed with the aim of supporting charities and socio-civic projects in the Philippines.
These are the FFCCCII, the FFCCCII Foundation, Inc., the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations of the Philippines, the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., the Overseas Chinese Alumni Association of the Philippines, the Filipino-Chinese Amity Club, the World News Daily, the Filipino-Chinese Shin Lian Association, Inc., the Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc., the Philippine Jin Jiang Shen Fu Zhen Association, Inc., and the World Fujian Youth Federation of the Philippines, Inc.
“This organization always helps. Maaasahan sila hindi lang dito sa disaster na kinahaharap natin. Ang maganda rito, talagang lalakas tayo dahil una, mai-inspire ang mga tao dahil nagtutulungan tayo. Pangalawa, mase-separate mo lahat ng positive sa COVID, maaalagan mo ang iyong pamilya, hindi masasayang ang pera ng gobyerno, makakapagtrabaho tayo, at tatakbo ang ekonomiya. Kaya nagpapasalamat ang Philippine Red Cross sa lahat ng grupo at indibidwal na tumutulong sa laban nating ito,” Gordon said. (This organization could always be depended upon not only during this current health emergency. The benefits of this is that people would be inspired. Second, those found COVID-19 positive would be separated, their families would be given help, taxpayers’ money is spent wisely, we will be able to work and the economy will move. That is why PRC is thankful to all the groups and individuals helping in this fight.)
