VSMMC donates P250K to GMA Kapuso Foundation from Xmas party fund

The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City has chosen to donate to the GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) in response to the call of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for government entities to refrain from lavish Christmas parties, and instead help in relief efforts for areas stricken by calamities.

For the first time, VSMMC, a large government hospital in Cebu, chose to donate P250,000 to the GMA Kapuso Foundation. The cheque was turned over to GMA Kapuso Foundation in a ceremony during VSMMC's Annual Performance Management Review on December 20, 2024.

According to VSMMC Chief, Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr., and VSMMC Data Protection Officer Chona Baltazar, the decision came as a response to the President’s directive for modest Christmas gatherings, and support calls for relief operations in areas devastated by a series of typhoons and a volcanic eruption.

VSMMC preferred to share a big chunk of their Christmas party fund to support the relief operations of GMA Kapuso Foundation as they empathize with the victims of six successive strong typhoons that devastated areas in Luzon, as well as the evacuees in Negros Island displaced by Kanlaon Volcano’s phreatic eruption on December 9, 2024. Affected heavily by the eruption are Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, and the Municipalities of La Castellana and Moises Padilla, as well as the Cities of La Carlota and Bago in Negros Occidental. 

Baltazar underscored that VSMMC has entrusted the amount to GMA Kapuso Foundation being their reliable partner when the Covid-19 pandemic struck the Philippines.

To recall, GMA Kapuso Foundation donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to VSMMC personnel who worked at the frontline beset by the challenges and risks of the coronavirus pandemic that was first reported in Wuhan City, China in December 2019.

GMA Kapuso Foundation donated PPEs to other government hospitals as well.

GMA Kapuso Foundation Regional Head Amabelle Rusiana expressed gratitude at VSMMC for choosing GMAKF because the donation is a huge help to evacuees who will be spending apparently their Christmas in evacuation centers and tent cities. —GMA Regional TV News