THE State of Israel recently donated medical equipment to the Department of National Defense’s (DND) first responders to help them combat the onslaught of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Ambassador of Israel Rafael Harpaz personally turned over the items to Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana in a ceremony held on June 2 at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
“The State of Israel presents its deepest gratitude to the first responders of the DND for their service to the Filipino people amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” Harpaz said.
The medical equipment donation included 60,000 surgical masks, 6,000 N95-filtered face masks, 9,000 gowns, 3,000 face shields, 100,000 gloves and 100 noncontact thermometers. They were handed over to the Office of Civil Defense for inventory and distribution, DND Spokesman Arsenio R. Andolong confirmed.
Prior to the ceremony, Harpaz and Lorenzana discussed the warm relations between Israel and the Philippines. The former continues to be in close cooperation with the Philippines in various fields, including agriculture, water technologies, sharing of military technologies and counterterrorism strategies, among others.
Significant developments have been achieved by both states in the fields of economy, agriculture, tourism and more since the historic visit of President Duterte to the “Holy Land” in September 2018. He was the first Filipino chief executive in office to visit the said country. With a report from Priam Nepomuceno/PNA
Image credits: Office of Civil Defense-Public Affairs Office/PNA
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