MACHINES TO SAVE LIVES. Temasek Foundation donates PHP100-million worth of dialysis machines as well as a million pieces of surgical masks to the Philippine government. Present during the turnover in Singapore on Wednesday (March 31, 2021) were Temasek Foundation International chief executive Benedict Cheong, Filinvest Development Corp. president and CEO Josephine Yap, Temasek senior director Gerald Yeo, and Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Joseph Del Mar Yap. (Screenshot from RTVM)
MANILA - The Temasek Foundation of Singapore on Wednesday has donated 39 dialysis machines worth at least PHP100 million and a million pieces of surgical masks to the Philippine government.
"We are here with the Philippines for the long run because we are neighbors, we are friends. As the (Covid) story goes - no one is safe until everyone is safe. Now if you flip it around, if the Philippines succeeds, Singapore succeeds," Temasek Foundation International chief executive Benedict Cheong said in a speech after signing the deed of donation with Filinvest Corporate City Foundation president Josephine Yap in Singapore.
"If the Philippines and Indonesia and Thailand and Malaysia and everyone in the Asean succeed, we succeed. So we must succeed together," he added.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., who attended the ceremony online, thanked the foundation, optimistic that the equipment could help save more lives in the Philippines.
"This is a key piece of medical equipment for the Philippines. What you're giving here is a gift of many more years for our loved ones... Gratitude is very deep," he said in his remarks.
The donation includes 15 dialysis machines – multiFiltrate with CICA, eight haemodialysis 4008S, and 16 haemodialysis AQUA C.
Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Robert Borje and Health Undersecretary Ma. Carolina Vidal-Taino also thanked Temasek, with the latter giving assurance for the timely release and distribution of the machines to respective hospital-recipients in the country.
Singaporean Ambassador to Manila Gerard Ho Wei Hong, meanwhile, described the donations as a reflection of the close partnership and friendship between the two nations.
"This is the time where all of us face massive challenges because of the situation and when you can you should extend a helping hand to help each other. And this is what Temasek Foundation has always been about," he said.
Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Joseph Del Mar Yap, who represented the Department of Health, said the latest donation is worth at least PHP100 million, which is on top of Temasek's aid to Manila last year amounting to around PHP600 million.
Temasek said the machines, including the surgical masks, will be shipped to the Philippines by Apr. 11, 2021.
Based on its website, Temasek Foundation International is a non-profit organization that supports a diverse range of programs that uplift lives and advance communities in Singapore and beyond. (PNA)
