US aid to Philippine’s battle against COVID-19 reaches PhP470M

Fulfilling its promise to continue bilateral cooperation between the United States and the Philippines, the US government has approved an additional PhP 269 million in health and humanitarian assistance, bringing the total to PhP 470 million.

The US Embassy in Manila said in a statement that “this newest tranche of U.S. assistance will support laboratory and specimen-transport systems and intensify case-finding and disease surveillance.”

Previously, the US government donated PhP 203 million to support the country’s COVID-19 efforts such as the preparation of laboratory systems. It also donated 1,300 cots for use by various medical facilities in the Philippines.

According to the US Embassy, the online learning module of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also boosted the capacity of more than 100 hospitals with up-to-date COVID-19 infection prevention and control information and skills. 

The US government also provided assistance to the communications platform of the DOH. It also developed a nationwide commodity and logistics tracking tool that serves as a database of life-saving COVID-19 commodities. This is expected to result in an improved and more efficient management and delivery of resources.