MANILA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine finance secretary on Thursday thanked Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma for donating 500,000 face masks to the Philippines to help in its efforts to slow down the spread of COVID-19.

Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez thanked Ma for his "generosity and desire" to help the Philippines in the fight against the viral disease which has so far infected 217 people and claimed the lives of 17 in the country.

"Thank you very much, Jack. This is very, very much needed here, and I will tell President (Rodrigo Duterte) right away of your generosity and your desire to help," Dominguez told Ma during their telephone conversation on Wednesday.

According to Dominguez, Ma has promised to begin delivery of the 500,000 masks either later this week or early next week through the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation.

Dominguez further said that Ma also provided a downloadable electronic handbook that could help Philippine doctors, nurses, and other health workers remain safe and avoid infection while treating COVID-19 patients.

Out of the 217 COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, eight patients have so far recovered from the contagious disease. The Philippines is grappling with an increasing number of local COVID-19 transmission.

The Philippine government is implementing drastic measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, imposing "mandatory home quarantine" to keep people off the streets.■