Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 15) — Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, who recovered from the coronavirus disease last week, said on Wednesday the government should be at the forefront of efforts to obtain blood plasma donations from people who survive COVID-19.

While scientists have yet to find a specific cure for the viral disease, medical experts say that antibodies in fully recovered patients could help those infected.

“I think the government—and I’m part of that government—we have to be better in organizing the efforts,” Angara told CNN Philippines.

The senator said plasma donations should be government-led because the information on COVID-19 patients is with government agencies.

“We shouldn’t cite any technicalities, like privacy, which prevent us. Because we can try to secure [COVID-19 survivors’] consent naman and protect their privacy at the same time,” he added.

Angara himself has donated blood plasma for a health worker who has developed a severe case of the disease. The patient is currently admitted at a Quezon City hospital where the senator was also formerly confined.

“It was very gratifying because it was the hospital where I spent more than a week at doon ako gumaling (that’s where I got well),” Angara said. He added that donating his plasma, especially to a medical frontliner, was the least he could to pay back.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health earlier said the effectiveness of plasma therapy to treat coronavirus is still being studied by experts.

While this procedure has been done by international health workers in the past to treat infections like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Ebola, a medical expert said the Philippines is still in its early phase of testing the method.

READ: FAST FACTS: Donating blood plasma for COVID-19 patients