PDRF vows continued support to government in COVID-19 fight

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) will continue to support the government in the fight against COVID-19.

In a recent meeting of its board of trustees, the PDRF said it is ready to support the government in the preparatory stages of the vaccination program, particularly in the logistics of vaccine distribution by mobilizing the resources of the private sector.

Present in the meeting were PDRF officers and board members and PDRF co-chairpersons Ayala Corp. CEO and chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, PLDT/Smart Communications chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle who is now based in the Vatican to fulfill his duties as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Last year, the PDRF has been actively providing support to communities affected by the Taal Volcano eruption, Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the vaccine support, PDRF members said the group would continue to provide support to the government, taking off from the logistics summit held last year.

Over 700 individuals from key government and private sector partners registered for the COVID-19 Vaccine Logistics Summit held on Dec. 16 and expressed support for the Philippine government’s efforts to combat the pandemic through the national vaccine program.

During the summit, stakeholders recognized that the private sector could play a large role in the roll-out, particularly in administration, distribution and communication of vaccines against COVID-19.

Companies with private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies can help recruit manpower.

For distribution and supplies, companies that have various storage facilities and transportation can participate. For communications and public uptake, there are many different roles for media agencies and publishers.