Jack Ma To Donate Half a Million Face Masks for PH Fight vs COVID-19

Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma has pledged to donate half a million face masks to the Philippine government to help in its efforts to slow down the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III announced on March 19.

Mr. Ma has committed to begin delivery of the 500,000 masks either later this week or early next week through the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation, Secretary Dominguez said.

Secretary Dominguez thanked Mr. Ma for his “generosity and desire” to help the Philippines in the fight to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want to personally send my best regards and hope we can do something for the Philippines to fight this virus,” Mr. Ma said in a phone conversation with Secretary Dominguez. “I hope that I can do something more. For now, we have decided to give 500,000 masks to the Philippines,” he added.

In response, Secretary Dominguez said: “Thank you very much, Jack. This is very, very much needed here, and I will tell our President right away of your generosity and your desire to help.”

Mr. Ma also provided Secretary Dominguez a downloadable electronic handbook that could help Philippine doctors, nurses, and other health workers remain safe and avoid infection while treating COVID-19 patients.

The handbook, published by the Jack Ma Foundation, draws on China’s lessons learned from fighting COVID-19 and is co-authored by several medical experts who served at the frontlines of China’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Mr. Ma informed Secretary Dominguez that with the handbook as a guide, “96 percent of the patients recovered, and none of the doctors or nurses got infected. So, I’m putting it online and I hope you can share it with the doctors and nurses and the hospitals in need.”

During their conversation, Secretary Dominguez also informed Mr. Ma of the stringent steps the Philippine government has undertaken to contain the spread of COVID-19, and expressed confidence that such measures would work to eventually break the chain of community transmission of the virus. (DOF)