Life-saving technology | Philstar.com
COVID-19 vaccines are considered valuable commodities nowadays, with many countries still waiting for ample supply of vaccines to inoculate their citizens against the virus.
While the Philippines has received around 56.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, enough to vaccinate 27 million to 28 million Filipinos, we still have a long way to go before we can achieve herd immunity.
With supply coming in trickles, there is also a need to ensure that the vaccines we receive are protected against spoilage and wastage, especially during delivery to far-flung areas.
During delivery of vaccines, one of the factors to be considered is the condition of the environment which can change at any moment. A sudden increase in temperature can affect the efficacy and safety of the vaccines.
The prescribed temperature must be precisely maintained, a little lower or higher temperature may accelerate the deterioration of the vaccines and affect their efficacy.
This is one of the challenges faced by governments, not just in the Philippines, but around the world.
Many companies in the US and other countries have developed the technology to maintain the effectiveness of vaccines through so-called biothermal cases. This temperature-controlled packaging technology has been proven by the US military, which has been using biothermal cases to carry life-saving blood for soldiers who sustain life-threatening injuries in remote battlefields. The cases were a great help for soldiers assigned in Afghanistan and Iraq as they helped extend the blood life by up to 120 hours.
The biothermal case system is also very useful for the US government during the pandemic as it preserves the vaccines for up to seven days or 168 hours even in extreme weather conditions. The technology also provides the required temperature requirement with consistency, keeping the vaccines and other biologicals safe even during long-distance trips.
Luckily for the Philippines, the government’s national cold-chain and logistics partner also uses the same technology in the packaging and delivery of vaccines.
Using this biothermal technology, the Filipino-owned company packages the vaccines in specialized boxes to maintain the temperature required by each vaccine brand, after which it delivers the vaccines to barangays in the National Capital Region (NCR) and up to the farthest islands of the country via land, air, and sea.
Through this technology, the national government is assured that no vaccine wastage will occur and Filipinos are guaranteed that the vaccines they are receiving remain effective and safe.
Promoting Phl
Bank of China joined the Department of Trade and Industry and the Board of Investments as their strategic partner in promoting the Philippines and its many investment opportunities during this year’s China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) held last Sept. 8 to 10.
As strategic partner, Bank of China brought in over 250 of its clients to participate in the Philippine’s promotional events at CIFIT 2021, including the Philippine Investment Forum, the Philippine Construction and Infrastructure Opportunities Investment Forum, and others for online and onsite events. Key sectors of interest for participants include hyperscaling, manufacturing, infrastructure, innovation and digital technology, and renewable energy.
Bank of China’s mission is to be the bridge between Chinese and Philippine trade and investments through corporate banking, personal banking, and financial markets services, while facilitating Chinese investments in key sectors of the fast-growing Philippine economy. The CIFIT 2021 is part of the DTI’s strategic partnership with the bank to promote the investment and trade projects in the Philippines to the Chinese market.
Corporation law book launch
I would like to thank Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairperson Emilio Benito Aquino and Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) chairman Jose Pardo for their endorsement of our latest project, the book “Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines annotated” published by the Arellano Law Foundation (ALF), which is now out in the market and can be a very valuable tool of learning for law students and a useful resource material for law practitioners and others in the corporate field.
The book, authored by professor Ruben Ladia, former acting director of the SEC prosecution and enforcement department, and myself, includes a detailed explanation of the changes brought about by Republic Act 11232 or the Revised Corporation Code which took effect on Feb. 23, 2019, including the introduction of the one-person corporation (OPC), the so-called corporations vested with public interest, and many other provisions that seek to promote better corporate governance, stockholder empowerment, and transparency.
I am also deeply honored by the messages and endorsements of the book given by ALF chairperson and former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura, who described me as one of the best products of the Arellano Law School, by Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) president and PUP College of Law Dean Gemy Lito Festin, and by Arellano Law School Dean Domingo Navarro, who described the book as the bible of corporation law and by which other books on the subject should be measured against. Both active corporate law practioners, Atty. Ladia has also been teaching corporation law for more than three decades, while I have been teaching commercial law for more than a decade at the Arellano Law School, University of Sto. Tomas, PUP, Lyceum, University of Makati, Adamson University, and the University of Perpetual Help.
Many thanks also to the University of Southern California where I earned my Master of Laws degree for equipping me with the skills to understand corporation and securities law on a more global perspective and to ALF executive director Atty. Gabriel dela Peña for overseeing the production of the book. It is available in hard-bound and paperback editions and also includes a discussion of the Securities Regulation Code and intra-corporate controversies. Those who want to get hold of the book before copies run out can contact 84043089-92 or Ms. Jho Doctor at 09175096635.
For comments, e-mail at mareyes@philstarmedia.com
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