By PR | 02:15 PM January 18, 2022
Pitmaster Foundation, through its Chairman, businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang, has committed P100 million to “get the ball rolling” with mass testing in Metro Manila, as the charity wants to prevent widespread infections that could cause another lockdown in the capital region.
According to Pitmaster Foundation Executive Director Atty. Caroline Cruz, “Chairman Ang has insisted that we fund mass testing in NCR to prevent further infections. That way, we can keep the economy open and protect the people from losing jobs and income.”
“Our Chairman sees the poverty that the lockdowns have caused. We consulted with government and public health experts. The only way to prevent another lockdown is to keep cases manageable. Mass testing is the way to do that without quarantines. It will keep the infected home and allow everyone else to work and make a living,” Cruz explains.
Cruz also cited studies from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which showed that mass testing is “the way forward in lifting quarantines.”
“We have garnered support from key officials and intends to work and meet with the Mayors of the Metro Manila, which is the epicenter of the pandemic, on how to move forward so that the testing can be done strategically. This is a high-impact intervention from the foundation, and we are ready with the cost,” Cruz added.
“The only problem has really been funds and procurement. The funds are not immediately available to local government units, and procurement also takes time in government. Chairman Charlie Ang is eager to take this responsibility on, as he is sincere to help and wants to do the mass testing quickly,” Cruz also said.
The Pitmaster Foundation is still on its almost a month Typhoon Odette relief operation, this time serving the small unserved affected islets, after extending assistance to the main provinces of Southern Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Surigao del Norte and other cities and municipalities.