By HENRY EMPEÑO | October 18, 2021

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) and a Taiwanese manufacturer in this free port gave medical equipment and supplies to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Friday, boosting the agency’s capacity in the fight against Covid-19.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the donations consisted of five oxygen concentrators from TECO and 100,000 surgical facemasks from MSK Group Work Inc., a Subic-registered business locator.

She said these will be used by the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department, which is Subic’s frontline unit in managing the pandemic.

Eisma personally received the donations from TECO Philippines Representative Michael Peiyung Hsu and MSK Group Work Inc. President Simon Su.

The oxygen concentrators, which generates oxygen from environment air with a purity of 95 percent, will be helpful for severe cases of Covid-19 who require oxygen therapy, Hsu said.

He added that these oxygen concentrators are convenient for use because they are portable. One oxygen concentrator can simultaneously serve two adults and five children, Hsu added.

Eisma also expressed gratitude to MSK Group Work Inc., which started producing surgical facemasks in Subic Freeport last year. She said the Subic firm had helped ensure a steady supply of facemasks in the country.

The SBMA intensified its Covid-19 vaccination program recently with the support of business locators in the Subic Bay Freeport.

In the last two months, the agency received two biomedical refrigerators from Subic firms that brought Subic’s vaccine storage capacity to 40,000 vials, as well as upright freezer for ice packs used in vaccine carriers.

Eisma said the support from the private sector “has been invaluable in the fight against Covid-19 and in the efforts to keep Subic a safe place for productive economic endeavors.” ~