The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) has donated P8mn worth of goods to the city of Manila as assistance for the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
The items donated included 3,000 sacks of rice and 1,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE).
INC General Auditor Glicerio Santos Jr said the support was part of Executive Minister Brother Eduardo Manalo’s directive to “lead efforts at helping the national government, local government units (LGUS), public and private health institutions as well as citizens’ groups in their respective drives to combat the Covid-19 virus.”
“We have been proactive in our assistance and relief efforts from the beginning of the quarantine period in March. The INC is fully committed to continue and intensify its efforts especially now that we need an extra push to flatten the curve,” Santos said, adding that further assistance could be rendered by the Church in the future.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso expressed gratitude for the “much needed assistance in this continuing time of need during the extended community quarantine. He thanked the INC for its “continuing generosity and selflessness.”
Earlier, the INC also donated 1,000 PPE and a thousand gallons of disinfectant to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute amounting to P2mn to help improve the government hospital’s capacity.
The homegrown Filipino church has also donated P5mn to the Quezon City government and P3mn to the Davao City government for Covid-19-related relief. Santos said the Church has closely co-ordinated with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases for the use of the Philippine Arena, the Philippine Sports Stadium and various facilities inside the Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue, Bulacan as a “mega facility” for centralised medical operations by the government and as quarantine centre for returning overseas Filipino workers.
“We’re all in this together. The fight against Covid-19 will be quicker and more effective with concrete and co-ordinated efforts. The INC, from the start, chose to be part of the solution instead of being part of the burden and problem to the government,” Santos said.