KORONADAL CITY — A key working committee of the Regional Development Council-12 is keen on supporting cross-section efforts to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local communities.
The members of the Regional Social Development Committee, or RSDC, one of the main committees of RDC-12, met on September 03, 2020 and agreed to cooperate on activities meant to cushion the effects of the pandemic on the local communities.
Ryan S. Vidanes, Private Sector Representative (PSR) for General Santos City and the Executive Director of the RD Foundation, told RSDC-12 members during the meeting that the Foundation shall provide 30 schools in Region 12 with desktop computers, printers and other supplies.
Vidanes said they will also distribute no fewer than a thousand transistor radios to schools in General Santos City, a booming seaport trading hub in central Mindanao.
Liza D. Hora, PSR for Social sector, also announced during the recent RSDC meeting that another entity, the Mahintana Foundation, Inc., where she serves as the Executive Director, is now securing a certification from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to produce at least, 20,000 surgical facemasks daily for distribution to government hospitals and health centers.
The facemask production project is expected to commence by October 2020 if Mahintana gets a prior imprimatur from the FDA.
The facemasks are to be sold lower in price compared to facemasks distributed by commercial dealers in Region 12, according to Hora.
She said the Mahintana foundation can also supply facemasks to local government units at lower prices should they wish to avail of these.
The 3rd quarter RSDC-12 meeting was presided over by Richlie Lyndon L. Magtulis, the PSR for Sarangani province and RSDC-12 Chairperson.
Magtulis said he is worried about the prevalence of COVID-19 cases in Region 12 that various government agencies, including the health and social welfare departments, the LGUs, the police and the military are together trying to contain.
The RSDCis focused on plan and policy formulation, investment programming and budgeting, communication and advocacy and other related functions essential to the welfare of the social development sector.
The National Economic Development Authority-12 serves as the Secretariat of the RDC-12. (Joseph Didius L. Clave/NEDA 12-DRD)