DENR extends ‘forest’s gifts’ to frontliners. Personnel from CENRO Sablayan headed by CENR Officer Ceasar Quebec (second from right) prepare and scale 78 pieces of hard wood for donation to Occidental Mindoro Provincial Hospital. The lumber shall be used to make beds, tables, chairs and cabinets for the hospital’s new dormitory that is expected to house around 20 medical staff and COVID-19 frontliners.

Amid the country’s battle against COVID-19, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in MIMAROPA Region extends its full support to Occidental and Oriental Mindoro’s efforts to ease the burden of medical frontliners and further prevent the spread of the disease in the provinces.

On April 22, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Oriental Mindoro donated to the Provincial Government, 109 pieces (1,589.32 bd ft) of assorted lumber which shall be used by the provincial hospital to expand and improve its services for COVID-19 patients. The PENRO also sent out 20 pieces (344.66 bd ft) of hardwood to the Philippine Coast Guard to help them construct a quarantine facility at the port. The total market value of the donated lumber is Php 96, 699.

Meanwhile, PENRO Occidental Mindoro, together with CENRO Sablayan Coordinating Office, also donated lumber to the Provincial Hospital to help furnish its newly constructed dormitory for medical staff and COVID-19 frontliners.

On April 17, the team facilitated the signing of Deed of Donation and handed over to the hospital 78 pieces of lumber which have a total volume of 2,018.49 bd ft and an estimated market value of P70,000.

According to Chief of Hospital Dr. Reynaldo Feratero, the hard wood shall be used to make beds, cabinets, tables and chairs for the dormitory that is expected to house around 16 - 20 doctors and ancillary staff.

As of this writing, the Department of Health reported that Occidental Mindoro has four confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 21 suspect cases.

“We understand that some of our doctors and nurses need to stay at the dorm to attend to these patients. That is more than enough reason for us to mobilize our team and help the hospital furnish its dormitory,” PENR Officer Ernesto Tañada said

DENR MIMAROPA Executive Director Henry Adornado expressed that the agency recognizes the role of the frontliners in fighting the disease and helping not only the patients but the whole community to recover from it. It is but apt for the DENR to extend all possible help to support them.

“We hope that through the donated forest products, we are able to provide our doctors and nurses sturdy beds to sleep on; and other furnishings that could give them some respite after an exhausting day of work,” the Director noted.

“Besides staying at home, it (donation of lumber) is perhaps the least that we could do in exchange for all the sacrifices that our frontliners have made in this very difficult time,” he concluded. (With reports and photo from PENRO Occidental Mindoro and PENRO Oriental Mindoro.) ###