Pinoys join blood drive for Italy

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos joined the blood drive to help Italy’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response.

The Philippine embassy in Italy said around 30 Filipinos donated blood during an event organized by the Associazione di Donatori Volontari di Sangue La Rete di Tutti (La Rete di tutti OdV), an Italian non-profit association of donor organizations in Rome on Sunday.

“The blood donation is a huge effort to help in the COVID-19 emergency. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, Italian health authorities have been calling for blood donors as blood banks are experiencing low supply of blood caused by the health crisis,” said La Rete di tutti OdV, president Di Lorio.

He expressed his appreciation to members of the Filipino community in Italy, through Philippine Ambassador to Italy Domingo Nolasco.

The bloodletting was organized in partnership with iPARAMEDICI, an organization founded by Dindo Malanyaon and mainly composed of Filipino citizens in Rome focused on civil protection, health and safety. It has been collaborating with La Rete di tutti OdV for almost nine years and an estimated 200-300 of its members have participated in the blood donation drives.

On Monday, Italy started Phase 2 of its fight against COVID-19, slowly easing movement restrictions throughout the country.

Taiwan donation

Taiwan donated 1,500 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to medical frontliners and the Philippine National Police.

President Huang Ya-Hui of the Taiwan Association Inc. Philippines along with leaders in the association donated the PPEs to the Chinese General Hospital  and National Kidney and Transplant Institute.

Dr. Joy Yen, deputy representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, witnessed the turnover of the PPEs on Monday.

“It is hoped that these personal protective gowns will assist the Philippine police and medical frontliners with the containment of COVID-19 pandemic,” TECO said.

Last month, Taiwan turned over 300,000 face masks to the Philippines to help the country fight COVID-19.

Manila Economic and Cultural Office vice chairman Gilberto Lauengco received the face masks from TECO representative Michael Hsu in Manila at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Lauengco thanked Taiwan for its assistance to the Philippines for protecting medical and health workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.