Bloodletting to save lives

Every day, the Philippine Red Cross needs 2500-3000 blood units to meet the blood demand of Filipinos. The PRC needs healthy individuals to donate their most precious blood.

A decision to donate blood can save one’s life!

Those are the words of Philippine Red Cross chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon.

The Philippine Red Cross is a humanitarian organization which provides services to uplift the lives of the underprivileged. One of its basic services is Blood Services, which works on providing the country with an adequate and safe blood supply from volunteer, non-remunerated blood donors.

Gordon says blood donors save lives everyday through their blood donations. “You are heroes. The blood you donate matters because it saves precious lives. We have to keep an adequate supply of safe and quality blood to enable to us respond to emergencies.”

Blood is needed by people during emergencies – serious health problems, fires, earthquakes, typhoons, and accidents. With blood stored in Philippine Red Cross blood banks, these people are saved. The donors themselves may need blood sometime – blood they, or we, have donated.

Responding to Chairman Gordon’s call, the University of the Philippines Diliman Tennis Club (UPDTC) is sponsoring a bloodletting session on May 13, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Spearheading the activity is UPDTC president and former Sandiganbayan Justice Narciso Nario, with the support of former UP Regent Nelia Gonzalez. The facility is along Magsaysay ave., UP Diliman campus across the Bahay ng Alumni.

Officers and members of the club, including judges, government officials, university professors and students and members of professional, business and civic organizations have indicated their desire to give blood on May 13. The invitation is open to everyone. Calls may be made to PRC Gov. Saeed A. Daof (09175124946), Engr. Rolando Calso (09302471646), and myself (09175928906).

The bloodletting project at UPDTC is an initiative of PRC Gov. Saeed A. Daof who envisions it to be a national program in cooperation with various organizations around the country. The Upsilon Sigma Phi Alumni Association headed by chairman Fred Pascual and president Thad Liamzon has formed a support group composed of resident Upsilonians in support of the UPDTC bloodletting event on May 13.

What are the advantages of voluntary blood donation? Donation from volunteers will help ensure adequacy of blood supply in PRC blood banks. Blood donation stimulates production of new cells, similar to the principles of“change oil mechanism.” Personal health check by medical doctors at the bloodletting site enables donors to know their blood type and hemoglobin, and boost “personal self-worth.”

What are the qualifications of a blood donor? Must be 18-19 years old, weigh at least 110 lbs., with a blood pressure of 90-140mmHg (systolic) and between 60-100 (100 mmHg (diastolic), with a pulse rate of 50-100 beats per minute, body temperature not exceeding 37 degrees Centigrade, and a hemoglobin count of 125 g/L (12.5 g./dL).

Donating blood does not make one weak. PRC says donating 450cc will not cause any ill effects or weakness. The human body has the capacity to compensate with a new fluid volume. Further, the bone marrow is stimulated to produce new blood cells which in turn makes the blood forming organs function more effectively.

A healthy individual may donate every three months.

The process of donating blood will take an average of 30 minutes. The blood extraction will take about 5-87 minutes and the volume of blood extracted will be replenished within 24 hours then the cells within weeks. Essentially by the end of the month, the body will have the same amount of blood before the donation.

Medical personnel at the bloodletting use sterile, disposable needles and syringes, thus ensuring safe extraction.

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 My last column mentioned former Speaker Joe de Venecia as the starter of the famous Bangus Festival in Dagupan City. While he has always strongly supported the event, Joe told me by phone that it was started by Dagupan City Mayors Benjie Lim and Belen Fernandez. Mayor Belen, he said, “has brought the festival to great heights and to national and foreign notice.”

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The story of San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez amazes. Barely in her teens, she was a pretty movie starlet from the Visayas who was swept off her feet by a young, dashing movie star who would later become president of the Philippines. He was born Joseph Ejercito Estrada, but chose Estrada to live by. He was, unfortunately married, but brushing aside social convention as a live-in partner, Guia became known as the first lady of San Juan, engaged herself in entrepreneurial activities, and, on her own merit, finally was elected chief executive of the city. Her astute management of governance resulted in the city’s being awarded a DILG Seal of Good Local Governance. The award covered efficient handling of financial management, disaster preparedness, social protection, environmental protection, business-friendly government and peace and order.

Now serving her third and last term, she is proud to have accomplished a model housing program for informal settlers, bringing them to resettlement areas where she had made sure there would be water and electrical facilities, there would be jobs for the men and modest entrepreneurial activities for the women.

Guia was convinced by her son, JV Ejercito, to run for mayor after he finished his third term and decided to run for a congressional seat, which he won. Some observers call the Ejercito-Estrada family a political dynasty. JV’s father, Joseph “Erap” Estrada served as mayor of San Juan for 17 years, then as senator, later vice-president, and finally, president of the Philippines. His half brother, Jinggoy Estrada (son of Joseph and Loi Pimentel), was San Juan mayor for nine years, before he ran for senator. Loi Pimentel Estrada, Erap’s legal wife, served as senator for three years. After one term in Congress, JV is now serving his second term as senator.

Guia is proud of JV’s achieving landmark improvements in the city.

These are: PUP-San Juan, Museo ng Katipunan, and San Juan Sports Arena. Remarkable also is the unprecedented economic growth in local government coffers from P300-million to an increment of P1 billion.

 Guia continued what JV had started. This includes the simple but elegant new City Hall situated right beside the Pinaglabanan Shrine. This historic and monumental site is the landmark where Katipuneros started the revolution more than a century ago.

 Barely two years to go before finishing her last term, Inday Ging, as she is called by her constituents, has undertaken excellent public infrastructure which upgrades San Juan towards a livable city of high standard. The first in-city medium rise building housing facility, now called St Josephville, is being enjoyed by 300 families that were fire victims two years ago. Mayor Gomez obtained the support of the National Housing Authority to build this public housing community.

 People of the 21 barangays of San Juan also enjoy the significant reduction of floods in San Juan with the establishment of pumping stations in Barangays Salapan, Balongbato, and Rivera. Four more flood control pumping stations are being built in Barangays Ermitanyo-Salapan, Progreso, San Perfecto-Batis, and Batis-Kabayanan.

 Very soon, San Juanenos will also benefit from an expanded medical center. Soon to be finished are a new Justice Hall, a new disaster management center, a K+12 school building, Science High School, Voctech Center, Kabayanan In- City Housing, and Batis In- City Housing.

At age 77, Guia looks 50-ish, is without a crease on her forehead. Asked what her secret is, she laughed. “I don’t worry.” She simply ignores brickbats thrown at Erap and her. They rarely see each other.

Oh, she said, “Joseph is really a charmer.”

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