Aboitiz Group partners with govt to bring COVID-19 vaccine to nearly 3M Filipinos

 CEBU CITY -- The Aboitiz Group with over 30 private companies has partnered with the Philippine government and British drug maker AstraZeneca to procure 2.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as part of the government’s ongoing pandemic response.

“The Aboitiz Group was among the first conglomerates to extend help and support to the government at the start of the pandemic especially for Cebu and Davao City. We thank the Aboitiz Group, led by its president Sabin Aboitiz as we strongly believe dealing with COVID-19 needs close cooperation between the government and the private sector,” vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said in a virtual deal signing ceremony on November 27.

Aboitiz Foundation President and Chief Operating Officer Maribeth Marasigan and 30 other company heads and representatives signed the deal in a virtual ceremony Sunday, joining Galvez, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Philippines, Inc. president Lotis Ramin.

 Aboitiz Group president and CEO Sabin Aboitiz said that the Group believes that a strong collaboration between the public and private sectors is critical in the battle against COVID-19.  Through these vaccines, people are ensured that they are safe and protected from the virus while keeping the economy moving.

“The Aboitiz Group is committed to supporting all response efforts as we help drive change for a better world, and toward a better normal,” Aboitiz added.

The vaccines will be donated to the Department of Health (DOH) that handles the deployment.  Half of the donations are for government frontline workers, while the other half will be for private-sector employees - both regular and contractual - provided they follow the government’s priority sectors for distribution.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion also stated that with all these announcements, the Filipino people can be assured that the country will not be left behind.

"With the efforts of Sec. Galvez in bringing the vaccine to this country, we will soon see this pandemic disappear and we expect the vaccines to arrive by May or June 2021,” Conception added.

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Philippines Inc. president Lotis Ramin on the other hand said that they are working closely with regulatory authorities across the globe, and they really hope to be able to bring a solution here to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Ramin that AstraZeneca has a zero-profit program in 2021, which means the vaccines are priced as low as possible. The vaccine is expected to cost around P500 ($10) for two doses.

To date, the Aboitiz Group’s total contribution to the national COVID-19 response effort has reached over P2.2 billion excluding various payments waived, reduced, extended, or restructured to help customers cope with the impact of COVID-19 underscoring the group’s sustained campaign to help address the urgent needs of front liners and affected communities nationwide. (Photoby GoNegosyo)