BARMM gives P15-M aid for additional Covid-19 lab

and Cotabato. belong to the Mindanao will market it with the Organic Rice Council, an support of the MinDA. Davao Cityorganization initiated by “This will ensure based Eng Seng Food the MinDA, at P25 per kilo,” that organic rice farmers Products and Don Bosco Piñol said in a statement. have a ready market for Multipurpose Cooperative, their produce as well as a pioneer in organic Don Bosco will encourage others to shift farming, have agreed to process and pack the to organic rice farming,” collaborate in marketing products while Eng Seng Pinol said. black, red and brown organic rice produced by farmers in Mindanao. BARMM gives P15-M “Eng Seng President John Tan said his company would buy organic rice aid for additional produced by farmers who The Bangsamoro Covid-19 lab By Albashir Saiden

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) turned over here on Monday over PHP15 million cash assistance to officials of the Amai Pakpak

Medical ADDED LABORATORY AID. Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Center Mindanao (BARMM) officials, led by Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim (2nd from (APMC) in Marawi City, right) and Dr. Shalimar Sani-Rakiin, chief of the Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, lead the symbolic turnover of the PHP15-million assistance for the development of the hospital’s biomolecular laboratory in Lanao del Cotabato City on Monday (July 6, 2020). Officials also signed a memorandum Sur. of agreement signifying their partnership in fighting Covid-19 in the province. (Photo courtesy of BPI-BARMM)

The cash assistance will be used to boost the operations of the APMC’s biomolecular laboratory as an added coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) testing center.

Aside from its biomolecular laboratory, the APMC also has a testing laboratory accredited by the Department of Health (DOH) as a Covid-19 testing facility on June 29.

Also on Monday, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim and Dr. Shalimar Sani-Rakiin, APMC chief, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for collaboration and cooperation in battling Covid-19.

“This signing of MOA is another manifestation of our shared commitment with APMC in fighting Covid-19. We are confident that our dear friends and counterparts from APMC can help us in this continuing battle,” Ebrahim said.

Ebrahim added that he remains optimistic that their contribution to APMC will help in providing great leaps for Covid-19 responses in Lanao del Sur.

“Not only did the APMC assured the accreditation of their Covid-19 testing laboratory but they are also finishing up a biomolecular laboratory that is as equally important to help out in conducting more tests daily,” Ebrahim said.

Meanwhile, Sani-Rakiin described the BARMM financial aid as a great help to APMC in the development of its biomolecular laboratory to contain the spread of the virus in the Lanao del Sur area.

“Presently we have 99 new cases, brought by the ‘Hatid-Tulong’ program of the government. Initially, we only had nine cases before its implementation,” Sani-Rakiin said.

She said the infra-component for the biomolecular laboratory is currently 39 percent complete and is expected to be operational by August 20 this year. (PNA)