When Taal Volcano erupted in January 2020 and spewed ash over large swathes of Luzon, respirators were among the essential donations to our scientists and researchers at Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).  In the spirit of bayanihan, Ms. Lea Mariano, a Fil-Canadian working for UMAC Forwarding Company, facilitated donations of full-face piece air purifying respirators from the construction company Sky High Canada to PHILVOCS.

However, ashfall is not a problem anymore; what quickly replaced it are fomites bearing the coronavirus. By March, the Philippines just recovering from a natural disaster, was reeling under a viral onslaught.  Sensing the urgency of the pandemic, USec Renato Solidum Jr, Director of PHIVOLCS, decided to redirect 41 of these respirators including additional filters to hospital health care workers.  This donation was coursed through the Surgical Innovation & Biotechnology Laboratory (SIBOL) program of the UPM College of Medicine.  Today, these sorely needed personal protective equipment (PPEs) are being used by frontliners from the Departments of Anesthesia and Medicine. 

Dr. Edward Wang | Published in Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 7