Baybay City- Students leaders and volunteers from Visayas State University (VSU) gathered together to initiate a donation campaign for frontline workers in Eastern Visayas amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Tabang PH, a youth organization based at VSU has launched a fund-raising campaign to supply make-shift personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks and face-shields, and sanitizing kits for frontline workers deployed all over the province.

Jamie Faith C. De Veyra, a senior BS Development Communication student, originally from Tacloban City, formed the organization along with other students from the university.

According to De Veyra, Region 8 is among the many provinces in the country that lacks manpower to fight against the pandemic, hence initiating the organization.

“I was seeing so many posts about how people from different parts of the country were contributing to help fight the virus. There were so many but very few were from Eastern Visayas. I was sad with the government [non]response to this,” she told.

She added that encouraging more volunteers to the program would make their goal even more possible. One, which is to help address the shortage for such important items.

“I know Tacloban was badly affected by this shortage, but how much more from the other municipalities. That is why we must gather [more] volunteers. They will be the ones to lead our goal: to help protect our frontliners.”

The group has started distributing bottles of disinfectants to the different dormitories and cottages in VSU and kicked off its production of face masks and makeshift face shields.

The PPEs will be handed over to Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City as the initial beneficiary of the project.

Currently, the group has more than 50 volunteers from Ormoc City, Baybay City, Tacloban City, Abuyog, Albuera, Matalom, Sogod, and Southern Leyte.

The organization is still accepting cash donations and in-kind materials for the production of the PPEs and health kits.

To reach Tabang PH, you may contact:
Jamie Faith De Veyra
0915 952 1672

Allen Glen Gil
0961 173 9673

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tabangphilippines