By Hermes Joy Tunac
Photos from Melissa Yeung Yap
“I’m helping superheroes get costumes,” says Katinko CEO Melissa Yeung Yap to his son Yevin, when the he asked what she has been up to.
True enough, when the lady boss found out that their Katinko factory’s “bunny suits” can be an ideal personal protective equipment (PPE), according to Melissa’s friend Dr. Ryan Paraiso, their team started donating their remaining bunny suits to several hospitals where real-life superheroes, some of the country’s frontline healthcare workers, have been working almost non-stop.
The bunny suits are the go-to gear Katinko workers have to wear inside the company’s factory. Each suit is said to be washable, reusable and made with anti-static material. It can also be sterilized using plasma sterilizers, which most hospitals have in their operating rooms. Katinko, one of the country’s top topical analgesic brands, is used by countless loyal patrons to effectively relieve them from all sorts of aches, pains and other forms of discomfort. Its product variants range from oil, balm and ointment stick.
“We learn something new every day, don’t we? Along with other volunteers and friends. Doc Ry (Ryan Paraiso) has been instrumental in helping us distribute these bunny suits/PPE to several hospitals,” Melissa shares in a Facebook post.
Aside from the Katinko team, people have also been donating to them so they can acquire and distribute additional PPEs.
Some of the hospitals that have received PPEs from Katinko are Philippine General Hospital, The Medical City, San Lazaro Hospital, Ospital ng Maynila and Quezon City General Hospital.
After receiving the PPEs from the Katinko team, one doctor from San Juan de Dios Hospital expressed his gratitude by saying, “Dasal lang ang proteksyon naman dito. Buti ngayon may PPE na!” [Prayer was our only form of protection in this hospital. But now we have PPE!]
For those who want to join in this initiative, you can contact Melissa directly on her Facebook account.
