PH to send help to India: Palace

MANILA – The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), will send assistance to India which is facing the worst coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak, Malacañang said on Thursday.

“I’m sure po, pinagiisipan na iyan ng ating Department of Foreign Affairs kung paano rin tayo makakatulong sa India (I’m sure the Department of Foreign Affairs, is now looking for ways on how to help India),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual presser.

Roque said he would ask the DFA about the possible aid the Philippines would give to India.

Roque also lamented that India, one of the world’s biggest producers of Covid-19 vaccines, is struggling to defeat Covid-19.

He, nevertheless, expressed confidence that India would still play a big role in putting an end to Covid-19 pandemic.

“India po ngayon ang biggest supplier of vaccines at iyan po ang nakikitaang solusyon para sa Covid-19 (India is the biggest supplier of vaccines and we see it as a solution to fight Covid-19),” Roque said.

The second wave of Covid-19 infections has caused over 300,000 people to test positive for the coronavirus disease in a single day for the past week.

Covid-19 daily cases in India reached 360,960 on Wednesday, taking the country’s total caseload to 17.99 million.

More states have been providing assistance to India as it continues to be battered by the second Covid-19 wave.

On Tuesday, India received the first emergency supplies from the United Kingdom.

Volkan Bozkir, president of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, also called on Tuesday for international aid in India to help it step up its fight against Covid-19.