LEARNING from the experience of India lately, the Philippines is taking the necessary measures to ensure enough supply of oxygen in the country.

Supply of oxygen in India has become scarce following the deadly surge of COVID-19 cases there.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez is not taking any chances for that scarcity to happen in the Philippines.

The country has to start ramping up medical oxygen supply to prepare for the possible increase in demand, Lopez said.

Although the country can still meet the requirement for medical oxygen amid the rising COVID-19 cases, it is crucial to ensure it has enough supply if there will be a surge in demand in the future.

There are only four local medical oxygen suppliers in the country with a total capacity of 604 tons per day.

“We have enough capacity. In other words, we still have surplus,” he said, adding that some 470 tons of medical oxygen are being consumed on a daily basis.

However, the DTI chief said once the demand doubles, local supplies could no longer meet the market requirement.

“We can already encourage private companies to start expanding,” he said.

One company named Cryogenics Gases will operate in Butuan in the second half of the year.

One of the challenges of oxygen manufacturers here is the sourcing of medical oxygen tanks, which are twice the thickness of a liquefied petroleum gas tank.

Aside from medical oxygen in tanks, the government and the private sector should start importing oxygen concentrators that can be an alternative for oxygen tanks while the country is ramping up the local supply of medical oxygen.

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Computers or laptops are undeniably very important in our jobs today. In fact, I could not imagine how to work without them.

Losing these tools for work during the pandemic could give us problems. Good to know the state pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has got it covered for public servants.

The deadline for the GSIS Computer Loan program has been extended until December 31, 2021.

The GSIS Computer Loan is intended to assist government employees in purchasing a computer unit for their online work or even for the virtual classes of their children.

Under the program, GSIS members may borrow P30,000, payable in three years at an interest of 6% per annum.

The loan is very member-friendly as it has a monthly amortization of only P983.33. And the application may be done online,” GSIS President and General Manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said.

Since its launch in November last year, a total of 109,000 government workers have so far availed of the loan.

A GSIS member publicly expressed his appreciation for the program and posted it on social media.

“Thank you very much for this Computer Loan Facility. I was able to buy a beautiful laptop, which I am using now both for my personal and work-related matters. I sincerely thank you for this facility. Had it not been for this, I would not have a new laptop of my own. Ang galing ni PGM Macasaet po. Mabuhay ang GSIS,” wrote Ronald Allan Sta. Ana of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)ON his Facebook account.

Sta. Ana is a Sr. Technical Education and Skills Development Specialist who develops guidelines for flexible learning delivery modes (online, distance learning, on-the-job training) used in technical vocational courses.

As TESDA implements alternative work arrangements, he brings his new laptop to the office and when he goes home to Pangasinan.

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