Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia says she intends to use the cash donations that the Capitol received from private firms to buy items that will help boost the immune system | (Contributed Photo)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government is planning to use the cash donations it received from the private sector to fund its “advocacy of boosting the Cebuano immune system.”
The Capitol, as of May 26, 2020, has already reported a total of over P3 million donations in cash from private firms and individuals for the response efforts against the coronavirus pandemic.
“Since the province has enough supplies of personal protective equipment (PPEs), face masks, and alcohol, among others, the donated money will be used in the Capitol’s advocacy to boost the immune system of the Cebuanos,” the Capitol said in a news release.
“Karon nakadisider ko nga ato ning gamiton pagpalit og kadtong makaboost sa immune system. Ato naning gamiton pro-actively to prevent COVID-19 from affecting our people,” Governor Gwendolyn Garcia was quoted on the news release published by the Provincial Information Office on Wednesday, May 27.
(Now, we have decided to use the amount in purchasing items that will boost the immune system. We will use this proactively to prevent COVID-19 from affecting our people.)
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Garcia, in a series of PIO-produced videos and her virtual pressers, has endorsed the use of steam inhalation (tuob), taking of megadoses of vitamin C, and drinking “salabat” or ginger tea as a means to boost the immune system.
Among those that the province will purchase, Garcia said, would be grafted calamansi plants, cuttings turmeric and vitamin C supplies which would be distributed for free.
In her daily presser live-streamed at the PIO-run Facebook page Sugbo News, Garcia said she would be giving an accounting of all the donations that the province received amid the pandemic.
According to the list of donors published by the PIO, some P2.9 million have been donated by private businesses and cooperatives while private individuals also handed in P208,000 and $4,000 (P202,000)./dbs