San Miguel donates 85,000 liters more fuel to government's free shuttle programs for frontliners

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) said Friday it marked Labor Day  with a fresh donation of 85,000 liters of free fuel to the government’s Libreng Sakay programs, which provide free transportation to thousands of medical frontliners and workers reporting to hospitals throughout Metro Manila.

In a statement, SMC said its donation consists of 40,000 liters of fuel for the Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) free shuttle program, and another 45,000 liters for the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) parallel program.

The fuel subsidies were provided by SMC subsidiaries SMC Infrastructure and Petron Corp.

Worth an estimated P2.8 million, the fuel donation is the second such grant that the two SMC businesses have given recently to benefit medical frontliners fighting the COVID-19 global pandemic.

All in all, the company has given a total of 170,000 liters, worth P5.8 million, for the shuttle services, the company said.

“This is our simple way of honoring our brave and selfless medical workers on Labor Day. We want to continue honoring them by helping provide them this convenient, safe, and free means of transportation when they go on duty,” SMC president and COO Ramon Ang said.

“Yes, it is a small thing, especially considering the risk they take and the sacrifices they make every day. But we are hoping it will at least make a little difference to them knowing that their government and donors like us, continue to support them in any way we can.”

Apart from fuel, SMC Infrastructure also waives toll fees for medical frontliners at toll roads it operates, namely the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the Skyway System, NAIA Expressway (NAIAX), and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).

SMC also donated five sets of Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) COVID-19 testing machines and High-Throughput Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction machines, that effectively doubles government’s testing capacity, with an additional 11,000 tests per day.

It has also distributed over 54,000 sets of medical-grade personal protective equipment to over 100 hospitals and another 10,000 PPEs manufactured by local garments exporters, to the Philippine General Hospital.

The company has also thus far donated over 1.1 million liters of disinfecting 70% ethyl alcohol to hospitals, LGUs, and other vital institutions, made at its reconfigured liquor facilities under Ginebra San Miguel Inc. --Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA News