Filipino-Chinese community raises P265M for COVID-19 relief projects

Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCF) chair and Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) president Henry Lim Bon Liong

The Filipino-Chinese community has raised P265 million to support poor communities that lost their means of livelihood during the lockdown of Luzon as well as medical, police and military personnel who are front-liners in the ongoing war against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds were pooled into the Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCCF), which draws financial muscle from 11 Filipino-Chinese business and civic organizations.

The FCCCF was created to support ongoing charities and civic projects “to help alleviate the difficulties of our marginalized peoples whose livelihoods have been disrupted and to give strong support to our front-liners in the medical field – our police, soldiers and others,” FCCCF chair and Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), president Henry Lim Bon Liong said in a press statement on Wednesday.

As of April 14, the group has donated medical supplies such as N95 masks, surgical masks, personal protection equipment (PPEs), gloves, safety goggles, sanitizing alcohol, thermos scanners and others to medical, police and military front-liners nationwide, including public and private hospitals.

The group has also donated rice to poor families in Metro Manila and the provinces through various partners.

Distribution of rice packs donated by FFCCCII in Barangay Maybunga, Pasig, one of the communities supported by “Bread of Salt Initiative – Multiplied” and UP Pi Sigma Delta Sorority

Apart from FFCCCII and its philanthropic arm FFCCCII Foundation Inc., other major organizations behind the FCCCF are: Federation of Filipino Chinese Associations of the Philippines; Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PCCCII); Overseas Chinese Alumni Association of the Philippines; World News Daily; Filipino-Chinese Amity Club; Filipino Chinese Shin Lian Association; Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines; Philippine Soong Ching Ling Foundation; Philippine Jin Jiang Shen Fu Zhen Association; and, World Fujian Youth Association & Business Club.

Lim added that the Filipino-Chinese community, especially the FFCCCII, had been actively coordinating with the Chinese embassy for China to send medical supplies, whether from the Chinese government or companies like Huawei or TikTok and philanthropists like Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

On April 5, the Filipino-Chinese community joined Philippine officials in welcoming a high-level volunteer medical team from Fujian province, China. These medical officials came to the country to work with the Department of Health (DOH) as consultants in fighting COVID-19.

The group also reaffirmed its strong support for the “enhanced community quarantine”, social distancing and other measures to fight COVID-19 in the Philippines.