NGCP to donate additional P1B for fight against COVID-19 

Under its Meals on Wheels program, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines distributed food packs to residents of the barangays Pinyahan and Central in Quezon City. In coordination with the barangay officials, the NGCP will be distributing a total of 500 food packs to the in-need residents in these communities between March 27 and April 25. | NGCP Facebook photos

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) will donate P1 billion to the national government to help address the growing need for medical equipment and other response measures for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

With this donation, which is in addition to an earlier assistance, NGCP shows its support to the efforts of President Rodrigo Duterte and the national government’s fight against the pandemic, the company said in its letter to the President.

Of the P1-billion assistance, P500,000,000 will be in the form of goods and medical equipment while the remaining P500,000,000 will be used for the procurement of other COVID-19 response measures, as may be determined by the Office of the President, according to the NGCP emailed press release.

“Through our initial coordination with their Office, we were instructed to donate entirely in the form of medical equipment, with specific items such as video laryngoscopes, ventilators, and total face masks,” stated the company.

The P1-billion donation is over and above earlier NGCP assistance, including a donation of personal protective equipment (PPE), face masks, meals, and other supplies for the frontline workers in the health industry and the Meals on Wheels program conducted to distribute hot meals to indigent members of the community, the company explained.

NGCP’s technical partner, the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), also donated 500,000 face masks through the Philippine National Red Cross.

“Our stakeholders, particularly the public, can be assured that NGCP will continue to look for opportunities to support the government in battling this pandemic. We recognize that the only way to defeat this global health threat is through our collective efforts,” stated the company.

NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid, led by majority shareholders Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr. /bmjo