The ROJDonors x MU Relief x HelpThru Against COVID19 Project - History

Good evening.

I will give you the history and backgrounder of The ROJDonors x MU Relief x HelpThru Against COVID19 Project – Dr. Reynaldo O. Joson

History of the Project

Before March 29, 2020, I had channeled donations from my Xavier School Batch 66 Classmates; Columbia International Food Product; my patients; and my friends who entrusted me with their donations to hospitals like the Philippine General Hospital and various hospitals in Metro Manila and Luzon, who requested for Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for the medical frontliners.

In particular, I have established partnership with HelpThru Philippines as early as March 17. 2020 to whom I would give the monetary donations of my ROJDonors, afterwhich it would source and then deliver the PPEs to the beneficiaries that I have designated.

On March 29, 2020, I decided to launch the ROJDonors x Mu Relief x HelpThru Against COVID19 Project for Rural Health Units and Provincial Government Hospitals outside Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao Region.

Knowing that I can only do so much to help in the gigantic fight against COVID19 and at the same time, being mindful that I have to create a project that is innovative and with impact that will be appreciated by my ROJDonors, who gave me all their complete trust, I decided on the project.

I thought I have to focus on channeling donations to where they are needed most - the Rural Health Units and Provincial Government Hospitals outside the MetroCities, which are the first line of defense and which are weakest in the link.

With the easing of the lockdown in May, 2020, with people particularly, the OFWs and the locally stranded individuals (LSIs), allowed to go back to their respective provinces, the number of COVID19 cases in the provinces has increased. There are now at least one COVID19 case in all of the country’s 17 administrative regions and only 4 out of the 81 provinces left free of COVID19.

Thus, the decision to give PPEs to at least one RHU and provincial government hospital in all the provinces in the Philippines except the MetroCities was I think a correct move, innovative as no organization-donees have done this, and with impact, useful and beneficial to the beneficiaries.

Second, I thought of involving the MU Relief Program of the Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity and Sorority of the University of the Philippine College of Medicine because of my envisioned nationwide disaster response program for the MU. We have identified 79 Mu Relief Coordinators for the COVID19 fight in all the provinces in the Philippines. After the COVID19 crisis is over, I hope we can develop and institutionalize the nationwide MU Relief Coordinatorship into a nationwide network of Mu Disaster Response Teams. In every province, I envision there will be a Mu Disaster Response Team ready to respond in a timely manner in any type of disasters in the Philippines. Again, I believe the Mu Relief Coordinatorship is an innovative project and will have sustainable usefulness in the future.

Lastly, partnership with HelpThru Philippines. I had worked with Ms. Rochelle Danguilan before, one of the co-founders of HelpThru Philippines. I have full trust in her and I extended this to her entire organization. In April 4, 2020, I made a public manifestation in social media: “I have always trusted you, Rochelle, and HelpThru's reliability, transparency and accountability in the procurement and delivery of donations that are being channeled through me to reach the assigned healthcare institution beneficiaries (hospitals, rural health units and provincial government hospitals).” Today, I still maintain my appreciation for HelpThru. As we shall see later, when HelpThru renders its report, HelpThru contributed tremendously to the success of our project against COVID19.

That, in brief, is the history and backgrounder on the ROJDonors x MU Relief x HelpThru Against COVID19 Project.

Before I end, from the bottom of my heart, I like to thank ROJDonors which Ms. Rochelle Danguilan will recognize in a while; all the Mu Relief Coordinators throughout the Philippines; the 6 MU Relief coordinator-presentors today; the Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity and Sorority for the Mu Relief Program; and HelpThru Philippines for A MISSION FULLY AND SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED. Thank you.

Some remarks that I made during breaks in the proceedings.

I am 71 years old.

I am a senior citizen. I am a health worker.

In the midst of COVID-19, our Makati Government has an order that senior citizens should stay home. With the community quarantine, I am also ordered to stay home because of my age. I am also not allowed to volunteer in the emergency room because of my age.

I want to be useful. I want to help in the fight against COVID-19.

I thought of two contributions that I can give to the COVID19 fight.

One is online education for the public, especially my patients and followers in Facebook, in the prevention and management of COVID19.

My foremost advices at the moment are the following:

One is to stay home as much as possible. Go out only when extremely needed.

Two is to avoid physical interaction with all people, even your relatives. Consider them as potentially contaminated and infected with COVID19. If you have to interact with them, always wear a mask and have physical distancing of at least 3 feet.

Three is to do maximum personal hygiene especially washing hands as frequently as possible and avoiding touching objects handed to you by somebody else.

Fourth is to optimize your host immune system or resistance through healthy lifestyle - healthy diet, exercise, stress management, etc.

Lastly, if you get sick, do telemedical consultation first. Do not rush to the doctors' clinics and hospitals unless extremely needed.

Stay safe from COVID19 infection as it is not worth dying from it as it is a preventable disease.

Stay healthy all the time as you cannot afford to get sick at this time as it is too risky to go the doctors' clinic and hospitals. It is also a hassle. And it is very expensive to get sick during this COVID19 crisis.

Two is this project - ROJDonors x Mu Relief x HelpThru Against COVID19 Project.

Last remark:

As mentioned by Ann in her welcome remarks, we are still in the midst of fighting against COVID19 in the country. We just want to take a short break in recognizing the people who have so far helped protect our healthcare workers through donations of PPE.

We are also pausing to learn some of the best practices shared by our presentors and our judges who are also our resourse persons or experts. I have learned a lot from the presentors and our judges. I hope you do also. So at the end of the tonight's activity, which is recognition and sharing, I hope we have provided greater impetus and more inspiration in our continuing fight against COVID19 in the Philippines. We welcome feedback on what else to do in the midst of rising incidence of COVID19 in the Philippines.

Somebody commented when we were holding the Recognition and Sharing Night of the ROJDonors x Mu Relief x HelpThru Against COVID19 ------ "Question: why stop now? The fight isn't over yet....."

My reply:

In the welcome remarks, the emcee (Ann Salas) said the following: Tonight, although we are still in the midst of fighting against COVID19 in the country, we would like to take a short break in recognizing the people who have so far helped protect our healthcare workers through donations of personal protective equipment.

We would also like to take a pause in recognizing, in learning, and in sharing excellent practices done by our medical frontliners in the fight against COVID19 in the country.

The ultimate objective of tonight’s Recognition and Sharing is to provide greater impetus and more inspiration in our continuing fight against COVID19 in the Philippines.'

In my ending remarks, I said the following: As mentioned by Ann in her welcome remarks, we are still in the midst of fighting against COVID19 in the country. We just want to take a short break in recognizing the people who have so far helped protect our healthcare workers through donations of PPE.

ANY SUGGESTION?