PH gets 100 oxygen concentrators from Australia
THE 100 oxygen concentrators donated by the Australian government arrived in support of the country’s fight against the increase in daily COVID-19 cases.
In last week’s 5th Philippine-Australia Ministerial Meeting (PAMM) attended by Foreign Affairs Secretary Locsin, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne, Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Dan Tehan, the officials announced that arrangements were underway for the immediate provision of 100 oxygen concentrators to the Philippines.
They acknowledged the ongoing engagement between the Philippines and Australia in health security including the AUD523 million Vaccine Access and Health Security Initiative, over 2020-23, for vaccine procurement, delivery support and the provision of technical assistance, which will provide AUD35.9 million for the Philippines and AUD21 million to support the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED).
The Ministers and Secretaries also acknowledged Australia’s broader vaccine-related support to the region, including the AUD1 million for the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund to procure vaccines in partnership with UNICEF; the AUD130 million for the COVAX Facility’s Advance Market Commitment which will provide sufficient vaccines for almost 32 million people in the Philippines;
The AUD100 million contribution to the Quad Vaccine Partnership, with the focus on vaccine provision and delivery in Southeast Asia; and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement at the G7 meeting on 11 June 2021 that Australia will share at least 20 million vaccines doses for people across our region by mid-2022.
They also agreed that development cooperation between the two states is a longstanding and important aspect of their relationship.
The Australian Ministers reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to the development partnership with the Philippines to strengthen health security; maintain stability via activities such as supporting peacebuilding efforts in Mindanao and responding to humanitarian crises; and promote economic recovery.
For its part, the Philippines welcomed Australia’s Partnerships for Recovery which responds to the COVID-19 pandemic with response and recovery support for the Philippines (AUD79 million for 2021-22).
The year 2021 marks the 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and Australia.
Since the establishment of the two countries bilateral relations in 1946, the officials said their relationship has developed into a deep and wide-ranging friendship that is comprehensive, mature and multidimensional, covering political, economic, defence, security, development and education partnerships, underpinned by strong and growing people-to-people links.
