THE Aboitiz Group, through the Aboitiz Foundation, is contributing to the government’s rapid mass testing efforts with the donation of 4,400 rapid test kits in Batangas to help in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) detection in the province.
The rapid test kits, delivered by Go Negosyo’s Project ARK (Antibody Rapid Test Kits), will enable the Batangas Provincial Government to conduct Covid-19 rapid tests in more areas including Lipa City, Malvar, Sto. Tomas, and San Juan.
Project ARK is a mass screening project using RT-PCR and antibody rapid testing aligned with the Department of Health guidelines.
Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas expressed his gratitude to the Aboitiz Group and the business community for their assistance to the province.
“We would like to wholeheartedly thank our friends in the business sector who are willing to invest resources to make certain that our people, who are also the lifeblood of our economy, are healthy, safe, and secured in the face of this pandemic,” Mandanas said.
The Aboitiz Group’s donation to Batangas aligns with its thrust to support communities affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
"It is our earnest commitment to contribute to our nation's fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite challenges in mobilizing teams during this critical time, we have been successful in delivering our donations, knowing that these will greatly help the nation in virus detection, contact tracing, and early treatment,” said Sabin M. Aboitiz, Aboitiz Group president and chief executive officer.
"The Aboitiz Group will continuously assist not only in locations where we operate but also in areas where we are most needed. One Aboitiz is one with the nation as it heals and slowly recovers from this pandemic," Aboitiz added.
Among those present during the turnover of the rapid test kits at the Batangas Provincial Capitol were Batangas Vice Governor Mark Leviste, Provincial Administrator Levi Dimaunahan, Assistant Provincial Administrator Colin Berberabe Garcia, Provincial Board Members and some beneficiaries.
Representatives from Aboitiz business units AboitizPower and AboitizLand were also present.
Three business units, namely, AboitizPower, Aboitiz InfraCapital, and AboitizLand, operate in Batangas.
AboitizPower’s AP Renewables Inc., a leading geothermal energy producer in the country, operates the Makiling-Banahaw Geothermal Power Plant in Bay and Calauan, Laguna, and Sto. Tomas City, Batangas.
AboitizLand operates Lima Technology Center in Lipa City and Malvar (industrial), The Outlets at Lipa in Lipa City (commercial), as well as The Villages at Lipa in Lipa City and Malvar, and Seafront Residences in San Juan (residential).
Meanwhile, Aboitiz InfraCapital’s Lima Water Corporation is Lima Technology Center’s exclusive water and wastewater services provider.
These business units donated food packs, safety and medical kits to various communities and hospitals in Batangas at the onset of the enhanced community quarantine.
The Aboitiz Group’s support for Project ARK covers almost 15,000 rapid test kits -- 4,400 kits for Batangas province and over 10,000 kits for Aboitiz frontline team members.
For Aboitiz frontline team members, over 12,000 rapid test kits have been allotted: more than 10,000 kits from Project ARK, and about 2,000 kits from another supplier.
To date, the Aboitiz Group has contributed P1.85 billion for its Covid-19 response efforts. This excludes various payments waived, reduced, extended, or restructured to help customers cope with the impact of Covid-19. (PR)