In the ongoing battle against COVID-19, the country’s medical professionals—its doctors, nurses, Philippine Red Cross volunteers, and other health workers—are the true heroes on the front line. With most parts of the nation under lockdown, it might appear that those obliged to stay at home have little to offer in this fight; that, however, hasn’t been the case.
When harnessed properly, the power of social media can be a force for good. This was evident in the call for support from a member of the Philippine medical community. The email from Dr. Sandy Cabral Prodigalidad, in which she asked for acetate sheets to make into face shields for frontliners, was shared countless times over the course of a few hours. That email quickly made the jump from one messaging platform to another: Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Viber, and WhatsApp, to name a few.
Eventually, the snowballing call for support made its way to the inbox of Ramon Agustines, a business unit general manager of Universal Robina Corporation.
One of the country’s largest food and beverage manufacturers, URC had previously supported the fight against COVID-19 in partnership with the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation by distributing products such as Great Taste Coffee, Magic Crackers, Nissin Noodles, and C2 at medical centers dealing with the outbreak. So far, URC products have been delivered to the Philippine Lung Center, East Avenue Hospital, the Philippine Heart Center, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the Department of Health’s Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Units in the National Capital Region and Region 4A.
Now, with the request for medical supplies, URC would help as well. Through a WhatsApp group formed to provide frontliners with face shields, Agustines connected with Dr. Maria Julieta Germar from the UP-PGH Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Germar explains, “The PGH Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology needed plastic sheets to prepare the triage, examination areas, and operating room to see Persons Under Investigation (PUI) and pregnant patients positive with COVID-19. Due to the lockdown, I had to reach out to friends. I got an initial donation from a bookstore. However, we needed more since we would need to replace it frequently. That’s when someone linked me to URC.”
URC Packaging Business Unit, which Agustines manages, manufactures Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) films. Widely used as a food packaging material, BOPP is also suitable for the hospital’s intended purpose.
Not long after receiving Dr. Germar’s request, URC acted quickly. “By Monday, March 23, I had the rolls delivered directly from the URC Films Plant in Batangas,” recounts Agustines.
Each roll of BOPP contains about 500 meters of film, which should go a long way in keeping frontliners out of harm’s way. According to Dr. Germar, “The BOPP films serve as a barrier between the healthcare worker and the PUI/COVID-19 positive patient. This is set up at the triage where the first patient encounter happens. This is also set up at the examination area, the diagnostic area (ultrasound unit), and more importantly, the operating room. For surgeries, the BOPP films are set up at the entrance and also to cover essential equipment like the anesthesia machine. We cannot start surgery until the barriers are set.”
This donation from URC, one among the many that the nation’s hospitals and other medical facilities have received from other concerned corporations and individuals, is a testament to the unity being displayed during this health crisis, with everyone pitching in to do what they can. “We cannot do this alone,” acknowledged Dr. Germar with gratitude. “Thank you for heeding our call for help.”
