Image: Instagram/@mikadlacruz
MANILA, Philippines — Actress Mika Dela Cruz has extended aid during the COVID-19 crisis by providing frontliners with face shields as protection against the highly-infectious respiratory illness.
The “Kara Mia” star took the initiative to gather face shields and give them away personally in Malabon City to a hospital, military personnel, security guards, and market vendors over the weekend.
She posted Saturday on Instagram pictures of her with frontliners wearing the face shields.
“Nakakataba ng puso na kahit sa maliit na paraan naproteksyunan ko sila,” she said. (It fills my heart that in a small way I gave them protection.)
Dela Cruz encouraged followers to help in their own ways, from making a donation to giving words of encouragement to those in difficult situations during this time of COVID-19 pandemic.
On Sunday, she shared pictures of her handing out face shields at a public market and to a pharmacy and other retail staff.
“It broke my heart to see na karamihan sa mga nagtitinda sa palengke walang kahit na anong protection at halos lahat sila may mga edad na,” she lamented.
(It broke my heart to see that many of the vendors have no protection and almost all of them are old.)
“Talagang sa resistensya [na lang] nila sila nagrerely na sana huwag mainfect,” she said. (They are just really relying on their immunity to not get infected.)
She also observed that it seemed impossible to implement social distancing given the volume of people in the market.
“Salamat po! Kayo po ang aming mga superhero,” she said. (Thank you! You are our superheroes.)
Besides Dela Cruz’s charitable act, celebrities like Pia Wurtzbach and K Brosas have efforts to give masks to health workers amid a shortage of medical supplies.
As of Monday afternoon, the Philippines has 1,546 people infected with COVID-19, including 78 deaths and 42 recoveries.
KGA
RELATED STORIES
K Brosas donates alcohol, face masks to COVID-19 frontliners
Pia Wurtzbach crowdfunds for medical frontliner masks