COVID-19 Crisis: Roughly 540,000 vaccine doses donated by South Korea arriving tomorrow

Tomorrow, November 30, 2021, almost 540,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine donated by the government of South Korea will arrive here in the Philippines according to a recent report by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). This early, we Filipinos should express our thanks to our friends in South Korea for not just for the mentioned incoming vaccines but also for other forms of help they provided for our nation’s fight against COVID-19.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA report. Some parts in boldface…

The South Korean government is augmenting its pandemic assistance to the Philippines with the upcoming donation of 539,430 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine this month.

The Korean Embassy in Manila said the donations are expected to arrive on November 30.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea is happy to support the Philippine government as it seeks to inoculate 15 million Filipinos during the National Covid-19 Vaccination Days from November 29 to December 1, 2021,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The donation is part of the joint efforts made by Korea and the Philippines to protect public health and support the local response to Covid-19 in the Philippines by vaccinating Filipino people.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) last year, the embassy has worked closely with partners from the Philippines, both to help protect the front-liners and reduce the crisis’ impact on the livelihood of affected Filipino families.

The upcoming donation brings to USD210.7 million or approximately PHP10.67 billion Korea’s Covid-19 assistance to the Philippines.

About USD200 million of the amount is in the form of concessional loans to help the Philippines procure enough vaccines in 2021 and support government efforts in scaling up its Covid-19 response.

Korea’s grant element in its concessional loan is at least 88.4 percent, based on the 2018 data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

It implies that the Philippines need(s) to repay only 12.6 percent and 88.4 percent will not be repaid by the Philippines. Thus, Korea’s concessional loan provides very, very good terms to the Philippines,” the embassy said.

Apart from the loans, Korea has donated 530,000 swab test kits, seven walk-through booths, two extraction equipment, six isolation beds, 970,000 masks, 167,000 hygiene kits, and 1,200 units of personal protective equipment.

It also distributed rice pouches to help about 365,000 Filipinos who are among the country’s most vulnerable cope during the pandemic.

The Korean Embassy said at least 34 refrigerated trucks for transporting Covid-19 vaccines and four trucks for transporting vaccine-related goods are likewise scheduled for delivery in January 2022.

This year marks 30 years of the Philippines’ and Korea’s development partnership, with the latter’s contribution to the country reaching USD2.1 billion in total.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What can you say about this new development? Are you thankful to South Korea for the donations and assistance they provided to our country? Do you value the ties between the Philippines and South Korea?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Disturbance in Ayala Alabang Village

This past weekend, an operation organized by varied officials of Philippine immigration, the police and the Korean Embassy happened within Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City targeting a foreign fugitive according to a Manila Bulletin news report. The focus of the report, however, was more about the protests of the homeowners’ association (Ayala Alabang Village Association) and Barangay Ayala Alabang with regards to an alleged lack of prior coordination and the alleged disregard of the autonomy of the barangay.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin report. Some parts in boldface…

Officials of the Ayala Alabang Village and barangay in Muntinlupa are protesting the raid conducted by Philippine immigration and police, and the Korean Embassy inside the exclusive subdivision Saturday night.

In a statement issued on Sept. 19, the Ayala Alabang Village Association (AAVA) and Barangay Ayala Alabang (BAA) said at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18, “an armed operation took place in a residential unit in San Enrique Street in alleged pursuit of a Korean fugitive.”

They said the authorities introduced themselves as members of the Bureau of Immigration Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU), Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) and the Korean Embassy.

The authorities entered Ayala Alabang Village through the Madrigal Gate, the subdivision’s main gate, aboard vehicles.

“During the operation, shots were fired which alarmed some residents,” the AAVA and BAA added.

The raiding team showed a warrant of deportation to barangay and AAVA officials who confronted the authorities “for the lack of prior coordination with the local police authorities, the Barangay Ayala Alabang (BAA), and the Ayala Alabang Village Association (AAVA).”

“BAA and AAVA officials decried the authorities’ complete disregard of the autonomy of the Barangay and the security protocols set by AAVA,” according to the statement.

According to AAVA and BAA, they “will send a letter to BI-FSU in light of the recent incident, clearly stating that while the effort of their agency to capture criminals is appreciated, security protocols of the village must still be followed and coordination with local authorities must be sought.”

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Do you believe that the AAVA and Barangay Ayala Alabang both have valid points with regards to autonomy in cases of pursuits of wanted people happening inside Ayala Alabang Village? If you are a resident of Ayala Alabang Village, how would you know if a wanted foreigner is living next door to you?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

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