Tatak Kalamay, a group of sugar industry stakeholders based in Negros Occidental, has donated ethyl alcohol to Negros Oriental, intended specifically for front-liners in various local government units, amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (CoViD-19) crisis.
Tatak Kalamay, representing producers, agrarian reform beneficiaries, labor sector, millers, and planters, has given out more than 11,000 liters of ethyl alcohol in Negros Island.
On Sunday, the latest delivery comprising 13 containers with 200 liters of alcohol each, was rationed at the borders of Mabinay, Negros Oriental and Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.
The gates were temporarily opened to allow the delivery at the Negros Oriental Command Center near Mabinay Springs in Mabinay, said Mate Espina, external communication consultant for Victorias Milling Co., from where the alcohol was bought.
Of the delivery, four containers were set aside for the Negros Oriental provincial government and one each for the cities of Bais, Tanjay, Dumaguete, Bayawan, Canlaon, and Guihulngan. The municipalities of Vallehermoso, Pamplona, and Mabinay also got one container each.
Tatak Kalamay representatives Paul Azcona and Julian Gatuslao, along with Kabilog-PA representatives Justin Maravilla and Luis Azcona, turned over the alcohol to the designated rescue units of the various LGUs, Espina said.
The group’s spokesperson, Dave Alba, was quoted as saying that this distribution is “part of the sugar industry’s effort to help in the CoViD-19 crisis we are in and we thank all our members, including those in Negros Oriental and Luzon who has been doing their share in helping out their respective communities.”
Alba added that this all started in response to the call of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who initiated and called on industry leaders to help out in Negros Island as well as in other sugar-producing provinces.
By far, Tatak Kalamay has distributed a total of 56 drums of alcohol all over Negros Island. All 31 towns and cities in Negros Occidental including major hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and the provincial BJMP were among the recipients.
The distribution of the ethyl alcohol in Negros is in response to the scarcity of alcohol in the market due to the Covid-19 crisis, Espina said.
Espina further said that VMC’s distillery is doubling its efforts in producing alcohol and “VMC has also been giving out to hospitals and LGUs and has even sent some to Iloilo and Capiz as well.” (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)