30 Vios units gird for anti-virus drive

Like armored tanks prowling the battlefied, at least 30 Toyota Vios units will soon be seeing action to to the boost the mobility of frontline health workers who are waging an all-out war on COVID-19.

Starting next month, these four-door compact sedans will roam around the medical arena to transport doctors, nurses and other medical workers to and from public hospitals in Metro Manila and Laguna.

Their commissioning to “combat duty” has been made possible on the strength of a memorandum of agreement between Toyota Motor Phils as donor and the Department of Health as beneficiary of the Vios units.

The Health department hosted a simple ceremony to mark the official turnover of the Vios units at its Central Office in Sta. Cruz, Manila with Secretary Francisco Duque III leading the turnover rite.

Showing strong support to the government, Toyota officials in attendance were TMP chairman Alfred V. Ty, TMP vice chairman David Go, and TMP president Atsuhiro Okamoto.

Also on hand to witness the momentous event was Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda who continuously promotes strong ties between the Japanese business community, the Philippine government and the Filipino society at-large.

In his short message during the simple ceremony, the TMP president commended healthcare workers for their sacrifice and hard work, saying, “Toyota salutes all healthcare workers in the country - the brave heroes who continue to work relentlessly to care for the sick and preserve life… Please accept Toyota’s humble contribution of providing mobility services through our proudly Philippine-made and ever dependable Toyota Vios.”

Capping off the simple event was the actual turnover of one (1) Vios unit each to Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, and San Lorenzo Ruiz Women’s Hospital. TMP will complete the turnover of units to identified public hospitals by July 2020.

Toyota said it strongly believes that providing mobility to healthcare frontliners will help in the country’s current battle with the pandemic.

TMP Chairman Alfred V. Ty remarked, “I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the Philippine government for its strong leadership during this difficult time. And, of course, I send our utmost appreciation to all our front liners for their outstanding dedication and selflessness.”

He further assured Toyota’s role in assisting the country at this time, saying, “As a strong partner for nation building, we are committed to heed the call of Filipinos as they begin to rebuild their lives. We need to help them get back to work every day. We have to make sure that we can take them to the hospital when they need care. We must ensure that essential workers can transport themselves to their work places to care for our loved ones. When we can once again move freely, we will be there to bring families and friends together.”

On top of the vehicle donation, TMP, in partnership with Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), currently provides ten (10) connected and sanitized shuttles to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) health workers. All shuttles are in compliance to the “new normal” guidelines to ensure that healthcare workers are well-protected, TMP said.

Toyota’s donation represents one of the single biggest deeds by a local carmaker in this time of virus pandemic although San Miguel Corp. and its fuel company Petron Corp. have kicked in over a billion-peso-worth of support for the frontliners in terms of protective equipment, fuel subsidy among others. Also joining the anti-virus campaign -to name a few - are Hyundai , Hino, Ford Group and Caltex who have also made sizable donations – all for the common purpose of defeating COVID-19, an invisible but pernicious enemy.