From North to South
Ayala Business Club donates equipment to boost Davao’s COVID testing capacity to 1,000 a day
Words by MARGA CONSTANTINO
Earlier this year, when COVID-19 cases started to rise, testing was severely limited in the country and especially outside Manila. Heeding the government's call for assistance, the Ayala Group tapped the Ayala Business Club (ABC) in Davao to coordinate the delivery and turnover of testing equipment to Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), a COVID-19 hospital.
1
Janice Parreño (right most) catches up with fellow members of the Ayala Business Club as they wait for the equipment turnover ceremony to begin in SPMC, Davao City. Janice, the Mindanao Area Head of Ayala Malls and former president of ABC Davao, revealed that she was afraid to be exposed to the virus at the ceremony, but chose to show up anyway. To Janice, this was an important and meaningful occasion that would show the Ayala Group’s support for Davao’s local government. She felt it was her duty to be there.
Upper left-right: Saiya Mohammad-Facility Manager of Manila Water, Kennedy Kapulong - General Manager of Seda Abreeza, Art Gerald Perez - Area Business Director for BPI, Janice Parreño - Mindanao Area Head of Ayala Malls.
Bottom left-right: Dr. Annabelle Yumang - DOH Redional Director, DOH USec. Abdullah Dumama Jr., Dr. Leopoldo Vega - Medical Director of SPMC, Mayor Sara Duterte, James Lopez - Globe External Affairs for Mindanao, DOH ASec. Roy Ferrer.
2
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, along with other notable government figures and SPMC’s Medical Director Dr. Leopoldo Vega, formally accepts the medical equipment from the Ayala Group. With the new automated RNA Extraction machine and two RT-PCR machines, SPMC was able to boost the city’s testing capacity to 1,000 per day. Janice was heavily involved in coordinating the delivery and turnover of the equipment and was proud to represent Ayala Land on that day. The turnover ceremony was on June 4, 2020.
3
After the turnover ceremony, SPMC’s medical staff accompany a priest to the lab facility for the blessing of the COVID-19 testing equipment. Though Janice and her fellow ABC members were unable to join this event, they were grateful that SPMC had allotted hundreds of free COVID tests for Ayala Citizens in Davao. After that day, Janice strongly encouraged her colleagues to avail of the free service if they ever felt the need. To her, the tests are a powerful tool that could give families peace of mind during these difficult times.
4
A priest blesses COVID-19 testing equipment donated by the Ayala group to SPMC. At the onset of the pandemic, Davao could only process very few COVID tests in a day. The equipment donated by the Ayala Group helped the city boost its testing capacity to 1,000 a day, contributing to the countrywide daily testing capacity of 34,000 in June 2020. To Janice, this project did not only help defend Davao citizens from COVID-19, but served as a hopeful reminder of how we can all beat this crisis, together. #
POSTED SEPTEMBER 11, 2020
