THE Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines (Teco), on behalf of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), has just donated 500,000 pieces of surgical masks, 50,000 pieces of N95 masks, 20,000 isolation gowns and 5,000 personal protective gowns to the Philippines.
Officials from the Manila Economic and Cultural Office and the Department of Health facilitated the handover at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on June 11 with Teco Representative Peiyung Hsu. The items will soon be distributed by the DOH as well as other Philippine government agencies and medical institutions to protect frontline health workers in helping stave off the pandemic.
This is Taiwan’s second wave of humanitarian assistance to the Philippines, following a previous donation of 300,000 medical masks, along with others from Taiwanese organizations and communities in the country.
According to Teco, Taiwan’s successful experience and contributions have won widespread recognition by the international community while the rest of the world continues struggling to contain the health crisis. As of June 8, Taiwan had 443 confirmed cases. Nearly 80 percent of them were cases from abroad, as there were no domestically transmitted infections for 56 consecutive days.
Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center had announced on June 7 that it would lift restrictions limiting the number of people who could participate in daily life and leisure events.