(APR. 1) — It has been more than 15 days since the national government placed the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in an effort to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19. At the home front, support for KapitDiliman!—the University’s response to the challenges brought by the virus—has intensified as more units, organizations, groups and individuals generously shared their time, effort and resources.
Innovations: PPEs. To help the medical frontliners, individuals banded together to fabricate gears and personal protective equipment (PPE) and even develop a drink to fortify the frontliners.
The College of Home Economics Department of Clothing, Textiles and Interior Design (CTID), through the initiative of CTID lecturer and known fashion designer Mich Dulce, formed The Manila Protective Gear Sewing Club (Manila PGSC). The Club produces PPEs and is composed of volunteers. Using medically-reviewed open-source suit designs, CTID faculty Candy Maristela created a technical package that specifies the suit’s construction and design details that anyone planning to produce non-medical grade protective suits can follow. The suits will be distributed by the Office of the Vice President.
Volunteers in Metro Manila and Iloilo are now using the technical package and according to feedback, designers and volunteers from Indonesia, Australia and Sweden are also using the technical package as reference.
Around 150 suits had been distributed to various hospitals and the CT Alumni network is currently working on producing 200 more.
Maristela and Manila PGSC development team are currently working on isolation gowns. Open-source references will also be released soon.
CHE is also planning a sustained production of PPEs for the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). The College, through CTID, also plans to come up with design and production initiatives for Do-It-Yourself face masks.
To fortify the medical frontliners, a group of CHE students developed a ginger-calamansi drink.
Called “Lucal” (contraction of “luya”/ginger and calamansi), the beverage is a concentrate that can be consumed when mixed with warm or cold water.
“Because of the team’s collective efforts, they were able to produce 40 bottles of Lucal which is equivalent to 466 glasses of the vitamin C-enriched drink,” College of Arts and Letters professor Jose Wendell Capili posted on Facebook . Capili said these were distributed to the PGH and the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) and a second batch is currently underway for distribution to other hospitals.
The College of Fine Arts through its Fablab provided two open-source designs for face shields that can be made at home “to help prevent the virus from entering your system.”
Food drive. Fully-aware that frontliners need proper sustenance, several organizations provided them with healthy and filling meals.
UP sports alumni group NowhereToGoButUP (NWTGBUP) channeled their generosity and efforts to various initiatives, one of which was mobilizing support for meals for hospital workers and military on duty through Salamat PH Healthcare Heroes.
Through alumni-donated funds, NWTGBUP initially delivered an estimated 500 meals cooked and packaged by donor Franco’s Friends to five hospitals, namely: the Philippine Heart Center (PHC), The Medical City, Makati Medical Center, Rizal Medical Center and LCP.
On March 17, the group secured donations from restaurants like Myron’s, Gourmet Gypsy and Barrio Fiesta, which allowed them to deliver meals toeight hospitals:PHC, LCP, East Avenue Medical Center, St Luke’s Hospital in Bonifacio Global City, Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital, Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Tala, Quezon City, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, and the National Kidney Transplant Institute.
In addition, the group was able to get a commitment from one of their donors, the Healing Servants Foundation Inc., to provide 100 hot meals daily for frontliners.
The healthy meals donation drive sparked the interest of other companies, who donated eggs, rice, vegetables and other ingredients, for the use of these restaurants.
As of March 26, the NWTGBUP delivered 9,150 meals to frontliners in various COVID-19 hospitals, the AFP checkpoint frontliners, MMDA Rescue Hotline Group, Scientists at Philippine Genome Center and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
In addition to safely prepared delicious and healthy meals, the group also launched a campaign to pool funds and/or in-kind donations of PPEs such as masks, face shields, goggles, gloves, cleaning/disinfecting supplies, etc. for healthcare workers.
In partnership with PayMaya, donors may send cash donations to NWTGBUP through pymy.co/nowheretogobutup.
The group is also currently accepting cash donations through April Joy Cruz (BPI Checking PHP Account: 4280003153 | BDO Savings Account: 008230009274). Donations in kind may be dropped off at Gourmet Gypsy (28 Maginhawa St., UP Village, Quezon City) or Myron’s (Ascott Makati, 1224 East St., Makati City).
As of March 27, NWTGBUP received more than P85,000 in cash.
Following the NWTGBUP, the UP Judo Men’s Team donated 180 meals to the medical professionals at the East Avenue Medical Center and the Tondo Medical Center on Mar. 28. The team is still accepting donations for frontliners.
Taking care of one’s own, UP personnel union ALL UP WORKERS UNION provided merienda for the skeleton workforce on campus during the ECQ. Going further, the Union also provided guards on duty with vitamins.
Research. Despite the lockdown, University researchers and scientists persisted in finding ways to understand COVID-19. Researchers from the UP Population Institute released the research brief “Beyond the Numbers: COVID-19 and the Philippine Population” on Mar. 26. A second brief was released today, Apr. 1. The Institute plans to come out with other briefs in the following days.
To help “create an inclusive UP learning for all,” PsycServ came out with the 15-minute survey TIE UP. The project aims to do research and identify the needs of students with disabilities and special needs.
In an email to UPD Information Office, PsycServ said the survey results will help them refine existing UPD services and develop additional programs in the University. To participate in the Survey, click (tinyurl.com/tieUP2020).
Fundraising. Fundraising drives and crowd-sourcing for donations were also done by many student organizations.
The UP College of Human Kinetics Student Council (CHK-SC) launched a cash donation drive on Mar. 28 to help the CHK staff, maintenance, guard and manininda during the ECQ.
Along with the UPD varsity players and with the initiatives of Jaggie Gregorio and Keona Lozada, the CHK-SC aims to use the cash donations to buy goods such as rice, bread, canned goods, instant noodles, tissue paper, shampoo sachets, soap bars and toothpaste. As of Mar. 29, the student council had collected P35,400. Donors may donate cash through bank transfers to Keona Lozada (BPI Account No.: 7646-1661-22), Joy Valerie Lopez (BDO: 000440553555), Ma. Angela Paula Villamil (METROBANK: 1123112324896), and Ma Paula B Villamil (PNB: 5102669017710953). Donors are requested to send a photo of the bank transfer for easier tracking. For any concerns, inquiries or suggestions, contact the CHK-SC, Jaggie Gregorio or Keona Lozada.
For more details and updates, visit the CHK-SC Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/updchksc/).
On Mar. 13, the UP Clark-Subic Student Council launched “COVID-19 Sensing: UPD Extension Program in Pampanga and Olongapo (UPDEPPO) Students’ Concerns Form” to assess the needs of affected students and forwarded it to the UPDEPPOadministration.
On Mar. 17, the Council began “IskoOps Para kay Chief,” a drive to raise funds to purchase food items for the 12 security guards at the UP Clark-Subic campus. As of Mar. 20, the drive raised P27,864.05, part of which were transferred to the accounts of the security guards.
The CFA Student Council asked for donations to help families in Villages A and B on campus on Mar. 24. Donations may be sent through the accounts of Maria Katrina Santiago (paypal.me/katrinassantiago; BDO: 006930015996; BPI: 3919188943); Anna Cristina Abola (Union Bank: 109485004420; GCash: 09088631192; PayMaya: 09175270380) or visit https://www.facebook.com/pagasaFB/.
The Asian Institute of Tourism Student Council called for donations in support of the University Council’s #IskoOps and raised P13,000 as of Mar. 27. The Council also posted an infographic showing the effect of COVID-19 to the local tourism industry.
The UP Association of Chemistry Majors and Enthusiasts launched AKAPNAYAN, for Covid-19 Frontliners.
A fund-raising activity the Business Administration Council (BAC) launched on Mar. 17to help 13 non-UP personnel (maintenance and security)raised P178,179.55 on Mar. 27. Said amount will be divided and distributed to them through bank transfer next week.
Meanwhile, the UP Law Student Government, in solidarity with the councils of UPD, posted a call for suppliers to deliver rice, noodles, canned goods, coffee, cooking oil, loaf bread, soap and soup packs to Sampaguita Residence Hall.
As of Mar. 28, #IskoOps had raised P681,158.46 and distributed 160 food essentials and 30 hygiene kits. #IskoOps is a campaign of the University Student Council to solicit funds for student dormers on campus, along with the drivers, manininda, security guards and residents who were deeply affected by the government’s Enhanced Community Quarantine.
Infodrive. To help inform more individuals about COVID-19, the College of Education came out with various infographics on how to be holistically well during the ECQ.
As the University exerts all efforts to help flatten the curve, adjust to the “new normal” return to normalities, the battle cry KapitDiliman! became more evident as UPD units join hands in the battle against COVID-19.
This material has been sourced from posts and information from UPD stakeholders. To be included in the next feature, email us at updio@up.edu.ph. — UP Diliman Information Office, image credits from Facebook pages of various UPD organizations and individuals, used with permission
*KapitDiliman! We’ve got your back
(MAR. 27) — Heeding UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo’s call to “continue to look out for each other,” members of the UPD community—faculty, administrative staff and REPS, students and campus residents mobilized campaigns to help each as others shared their expertise to address the urgent challenges posed by COVID-19 in the country.