Bayanihan Test Kits Program Gains Support

More individuals and companies are supporting the “bayanihan” call to contribute to the Bayanihan Test Kit program in purchasing Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test kits that will be endorsed to the Province of Negros Occidental especially at the heels of the province-wide mass testing.

Recently, an additional 1,800 test kits were handed over to the provincial government through contributions from Johnny Uy of Kooll Co., Soha Uy of SAL Group of Companies, Regina Tanpinco-Piccio of FF Gonzaga Inc., Juan Andres Corro of Railside Agricultural Corp., Regional Trial Court Judge Dyna Trocio, Municipal Trial Court Judge Joseph Gedeoni Valencia and hotelier, Sonia Sarrosa.

The Bayanihan Test Kit program was organized by Jean Trebol and the St. Scholastica’s Bacolod Alumnae Foundation. They earlier turned over 7,000 RT-PCR test kits to the province. Under the program, the provincial government will use of half of the tests for the public while the rest will be allocated to persons who will be nominated by the donors.
Johnny Uy, chairman of Kooll Co. said “We are doing this because we care for our community and our own people. Government can only do so much and we, in the private sector, must help in every little way we can.”

Uy added that he hopes “the business sector will step-up and help our local governments during this crisis” and one way of doing so is supporting the call to purchase RT-PCR kits through the Bayanihan Test Kit program.

Judge Trocio on the other hand believes that “this program fulfills not only our personal needs for testing but in the performance of our civic duty as well.”

Sugar Regulatory Board Member, Atty. Dino Yulo who supports the program said he is also glad that among the first contributors to this are sugar industry stakeholders. He is urging other industry players to support this especially with the arrival of sugar migrant workers who are required to undergo RT-PCR tests to work during the milling season which will start next week.

“Our provincial government does not have enough resources to provide free testing for the sacadas and I am calling on all industry stakeholders to donate to the program so that enough RT-PCR test kits can be purchased,” Yulo said.

Early donors to the program were sugar planters Tony Trebol and Mike Hinojales of MIGAN Corp., Victorias Milling Co., FF Gonzaga Inc., the Asociacion de Agricultores de la Carlota y Pontevedra Inc. (AALCPI), Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, and partners in the FHTC Agricultural Corporation, AC Rivero Corp., MC Metroplex, VCY Sales, and LEM Agricultural Corporation.*