As part of its global relief efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated over 39,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) gowns and 40,000 face masks to the Philippine Navy Naval Reserve Command (NRC) on August 5, 2021.
"Andito po kami para ipagkaloob itong mga donasyon para sa pagtulong sa ating mga kababayang Filipino (We are here to give these donations to help our fellow Filipinos)," said Philippines Area Welfare and Self-Reliance Manager Abenir Pajaro.
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The donations consisted of 665 boxes of PPE gowns (each containing 60 suits) and 16 boxes of face masks (2,500 face masks per box). These donations will be distributed by the NRC to different strategic partners such as health institutions and facilities all over the country.
NRC Commander Rear Admiral Dorvin Jose Legaspi PN expressed his gratitude for the Church's donations. In his acceptance speech, Legaspi said, "We are truly grateful for these. We are always happy and willing to work with the Church to help our fellow citizens. Your donations will help many of our countrymen in our fight against the pandemic. We hope na madami pa po kayong matutulungan (We hope that you can continue to help more people)."
Legaspi added that with the country's COVID cases rising due to the introduction of the Delta coronavirus variant, the need for these supplies has never been greater.
Speaking about the Church's humanitarian efforts, Pajaro said, "Kami po ay nagsisikap na sumunod sa ehemplo ng ating Savior na si Jesucristo. Kami po ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa serbisyo [ng NRC] sa ating bayan at sa mga kababayan natin. We express our respect, our admiration, and our gratitude for you, our respected military servicemen. (We are striving to follow the example of our Savior, who is Jesus Christ. We are very grateful for the NRC's service to our country and fellowmen. We express our respect, our admiration, and our gratitude for you, our respected military servicemen.)"
Through its humanitarian arm Latter-day Saint Charities, the Church has partnered with the NRC for over 11 years in several humanitarian and welfare projects in the Philippines.