FFCCCII raises ₧265M to fight virus

THE Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) on Wednesday said it has raised P265 million for ongoing civic projects to help marginalized sectors and frontliners fighting the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The amount it collected as of April 14— through the Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCCF) comprised of 11 major Filipino Chinese business, civic and cultural organizations— has been used for medical supplies and food packages distributed to intended beneficiaries.

Medical items, such as N95 masks, surgical masks, personal protective equipment or PPES, gloves, safety goggles, sanitizing alcohol, thermal scanners and others, have been donated to frontline medical staff of public and private hospitals, as well as police and military personnel deployed nationwide.

Food packs have also been distributed to poor families in Metro Manila and rural areas.

“The Filipino-chinese community reaffirms strong support for the enhanced community quarantine, social distancing and all positive efforts to fight Covid-19 in the Philippines,” FCCCF Chairman Henry Lim Bon Liong said in a statement. “Let us unite and work hard; share kindness and hope. Let us help each other.”

The FFCCCII has been actively coordinating with the Chinese Embassy, through Ambassador Huang Xilian, as regards China’s humanitarian assistance to Filipinos in the form of medical supplies and other donations coming either from the Chinese government, companies like Huawei or Tiktok, or philanthropists like Jack Ma.

On April 5, the biggest organization of Chinese entities joined Philippine government officials in welcoming a high-level volunteer medical team from Fujian province, China, that came here to support the Department of Health as consultants in fighting the flu pandemic.

The FCCCF, which started on March 12, is an ongoing community-wide philanthropic campaign of fund-raising and anti-covid-19 relief assistance project of FFCCCII.