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CEBU, PHILIPPINES -The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) turned over 71 full shelters with solar-powered panels amounting to P30 million for families that lost their homes due to Typhoon Odette (Rai) on 26 March 2024 in Barangay Poblacion, Alegria, Cebu.

“As I’ve said, PRC stands for hope and we are always hopeful that what we are doing is paving the path for these families towards healing and recovery. Red Cross is not in the business of giving dole outs – we are in the business of giving hope. What’s also special about the additional shelters is that these are all solar-powered,” said PRC Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon.

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The Full Shelter Assistance (FSA) project focused not only in the Queen City of the South but also in Bohol and Surigao del Norte—the provinces severely affected by Typhoon Odette in 2021. Last May 2023, the PRC already turned over 70 full shelters in Talibon, Bohol.

The project was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) under the leadership of the IFRC Head of Delegation Sanjeev Kafley and IFRC Program Coordinator Gopal Mukherjee, and the Municipality of Alegria.

Odette was the strongest typhoon that struck the Philippines in 2021 where more than half of Cebu’s population of five million were affected by the disaster according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) stated that in the province’s capital, Cebu City, the total damages brought by Typhoon Odette to infrastructure, utilities, and agriculture in Cebu City reached P1.7 billion.

In Cebu alone, the PRC and its partners already built 8,741 houses; repaired 1,263 houses; provided livelihood assistance to 8,854 families; cash grants to 12,517 families; and food items to 21,789 households. These provisions are part of the P1 billion worth of developmental projects given by the PRC to vulnerable people in the province because of Typhoons Odette and Ursula, Naga City Landslide, and COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and PhilHair President and beauty guru Ricky Reyes strengthened their collaboration and formally launched this year’s Health and Beauty Caravan last March 20 at SM Megamall. 

The Health and Beauty Caravan was first introduced on March 14 2022. From then, the PRC Health Caravan was able to support numerous beauty caravans in 67 communities, serving over 15,000 individuals, including mothers and the elderly. 

“With the kindness of Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon and Secretary General Dr. Gwen [and through the Health and Beauty Caravan], all the people [in] communities ay mararanasan ang alagang Red Cross [can experience the Red Cross care,” Mother Ricky Reyes said in an interview.  

An initiative of Chairman Gordon, the Health Caravan is part of the PRC’s efforts to bring health services directly to communities. It offers free health consultation, health kit distribution, health and hygiene promotion, first aid training, blood typing, mother’s kit for pregnant women, routine immunization, and hot meal distribution to serve the most vulnerable.

At the event, Dr. Pang said the PRC is 100% committed to the initiative, adding, “We have recruited and trained over 500 new volunteers to accommodate the Health and Beauty Caravan. This year, we are targeting to reach 10,000 individuals.” 

Representatives from Metro Manila Mayors’ Spouses Foundation Inc, Philippine Cancer Society, SM, and Mandaluyong Vice Mayor Menchie Abalos were also present in the event. 

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Caption: PRC Secretary-General, Dr. Gwen Pang, signed the MOA along with PRC Caloocan Chapter OIC, Mr. Carlo Angeles, Chairman of PRC Caloocan Chapter’s Board of Directors, Mr. Danilo Sanchez, MCU University President, Dr. Renato Tanchoco, Jr., and MCU Academic Affairs Director, Ms. Giandelu Carissa Santos.

CALOOCAN, METRO MANILA – In a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing ceremony today, January 22, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Manila Central University (MCU) strengthened their partnership to serve the country together in case of disasters and humanitarian emergencies. 

“We are establishing partnerships with different institutions to prepare for crises and disasters, especially now that more catastrophic events are happening in the world, and our country is ranked number one in disaster risk. The partnership between the PRC and the MCU is one excellent way to be prepared,” PRC Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon said. 

In the agreement, the PRC and MCU vowed to optimize each other’s medical and welfare services. PRC and MCU will further train their medical personnel in mass casualty incidents (MCIs) to prepare for large-scale disasters, especially earthquakes and typhoons. In the event that hospitals become overwhelmed or there are not enough beds for patients during such cases, the PRC will build Emergency Field Hospitals (EFH) and MCU’s member-doctors will be ready to provide emergency medical duties to PRC’s EFH.  

MCU also agreed to intensify its support to PRC’s humanitarian activities, such as the Red Cross Youth and Membership Accident Assistance Benefits (MAAB) program, which provide protection to members through accident insurance coverage in exchange for their volunteer service. The PRC, meanwhile, vowed to provide capacity-building activities, such as simulation exercises and immersion experiences, for MCU employees and students. 

PRC Secretary-General, Dr. Gwen Pang, meanwhile, views the partnership as an opportunity to nurture students, the future citizens of the country, to not only be academically proficient but also compassionate, resilient, and ready to contribute to the betterment of society.

MCU has been a partner of PRC in various humanitarian endeavors for the last decade, including participation in PRC’s blood donation drives, providing training to its medical students and teaching personnel under PRC’s first aid and basic life support courses, and enrolling over 1000 students and university personnel for PRC’s MAAB program. Member-doctors of the MCU also served as volunteers in PRC’s Operation during the Feast of the Black Nazarene and currently assist in PRC’s health caravan, a healthcare and medical consultation activity conducted nationwide. 

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As the country commemorates the historic Super Typhoon Haiyan this November, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) highlights the noteworthy accomplishments of its response, recovery, and resilience programs in the affected areas. One of the worst-hit provinces was Capiz. The Philippine Red Cross shared that overall, it provided PhP448.6 million in recovery interventions in the province.

“We are globally acknowledged as one of the leading Red Cross societies. In the aftermath of the Haiyan disaster, we demonstrated our capacity to gather support from numerous Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) societies globally and effectively distribute aid to various provinces. The Haiyan incident underscored the reputation of Red Cross as a dependable organization, solidifying its position as the preferred partner,” said Richard “Dick” Gordon, Chairman and CEO of the PRC.

Aside from the PRC, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the German Red Cross, the Hong Kong Red Cross, the Singapore Red Cross, and the Swiss Red Cross implemented the humanitarian assistance program in Capiz.

The RCRC Movement built 7,233 homes for displaced people, provided livelihood training and cash assistance to 6,945 households, built WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) facilities in 24 schools, reconstructed or constructed 12 health facilities, and built 25 classrooms.

Dr. Gwen Pang, Secretary-General of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), said that the PRC assumed control by allocating various national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to the impacted provinces and cities, implementing a coordinated intervention program.

Super Typhoon Haiyan affected over 16 million people in more than 600 municipalities and cities. It displaced more than 800,000 families. The PRC mounted a P4.9 billion recovery program, benefiting over 390,000 families across 10 provinces and cities.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Secretary-General, Dr. Gwen Pang discussed the organization’s climate actions and humanitarian responses to disasters aggravated by climate change during the International Women Empowerment Assembly: Peace and Sustainable Development of the International Council of Women on November 6. 

Dr. Pang began her discourse by referring to climate change as a threat multiplier that can exacerbate existing conflicts and potentially ignite new ones. “By addressing climate change, we are actively contributing in promoting peace and sustainability,” she said. 

The discourse focused on the ways the PRC addresses both the effects and root causes of climate change.

“We incorporate climate change in our training, capacity-building programs, and educational materials to raise awareness. We invest in nature-based solutions, and intensify our efforts in waste management and circular economy,” she said. 

The PRC also has climate-resilient development practices, such as Early Warning and Early Action Protocols, and community-based disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness to help Filipino communities affected by natural hazards intensified by climate change. 

“Numerous climate change-induced hazards traverse the Philippines in a year. Before communities can recover, another disaster will come and exacerbate their situation. Our early warning and action systems help Filipinos strengthen their houses, evacuate livestocks, relocate small businesses, and harvest their crops days early prior to impact of hazards,” Dr. Pang highlighted. 

The Secretary-General concluded her discussion by encouraging all women leaders at the aforementioned conference to devise action points and integrate climate change in local and national policies. 

This year, Dr. Pang represented the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at the UN High-Level Meeting of the Midterm Review for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) in New York. The PRC also signed an agreement with the Climate Change Commission to intensify the country’s climate change adaptation and mitigation programs.

After receiving reports from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Operations Center, PRC Cagayan de Oro Chapter immediately responded to stranded passengers of a Cebu-bound ship that tilted due to strong winds and heavy waves shortly after leaving the port of CDO on November 12. The vessel was operated by Cokaliong Shipping Lines. 

Soon after all the passengers safely disembarked from the ship at the port of CDO, the PRC’s Welfare Services Team arrived. Volunteers from PRC CDO Chapter distributed hot meals (arroz caldo) to 125 passengers and food packs to 129 passengers who were shaken by the incident. Seven (7) passengers received medical attention, one of whom had a sprained ankle, and two (2) passengers received psychological first aid from PRC’s first aid and welfare stations. 

PRC Chairman Dick Gordon directed the deployment of PRC’s ambulance team in Macabalan Port to provide pre-hospital treatment to passengers who may need it. 

PRC’s OpCen also coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard. Stranded passengers are currently housed in the PPA passenger amenity building, awaiting instructions regarding the vessel’s departure or clearance.

On October 7, the PRC dispatched two ambulance units to assist in the disembarkation of passengers from a cargo vessel still operated by Cokaliong Shipping Lines. The vessel was en route to Samar when a chemical leak on board took place.

When PHIVOLCS reported that Mt. Mayon was on alert level three, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), led by its Chairman and CEO, Dick Gordon, immediately sent a humanitarian caravan to meet the essential needs of the people who were pre-emptively evacuated because of the imminent eruption. The premier humanitarian organization in the Philippines has been alongside the Bicolanos, providing them with clean water, food, health care, and other basic necessities during their stay at the evacuation centers since Day 1.

More than three months later, as Mt. Mayon has not shown signs of being stable, the PRC renews its commitment to the families seeking temporary shelter in evacuation centers. Gordon calls on the families affected to endure, saying that the situation, too, will pass. He assures them that the PRC will continue to be a lifeline during this time of crisis. He encourages them to maintain composure and a positive outlook amidst the situation.      

“There is no other way out of a crisis but hope. Do not let your hope get dampened by your surroundings or the mood of the people around you get the better of you. Be a thermostat, which controls temperature, rather than a thermometer, which simply reflects the temperature. The Red Cross will be with you, for as our hymn says, ‘When the world no longer watches, we do what must be done’,” says Gordon.

As of 19 September, the PRC has provided the following humanitarian aid to the families displaced by the Mt. Mayon eruption, among others: 2,580,500 liters of water through the PRC water tankers; 81,352 hot meals; hygiene promotion to 13,342 persons; psychological first aid to 4,016 children and 1,521 adults; 3,662 feminine kits; 2,531 dengue brochures; welfare services to 2,474 individuals through the PRC welfare desks; 2,436 sleeping kits; 2,436 water containers; 2,393 cough and colds brochure; menstrual hygiene management lecture to 1,389 individuals; and 1,210 hygiene kits.    

The PHIVOLCS reported in its Twitter account today, 20 September, that Mt. Mayon is on Alert Level 3, as lava slowly flowed from it during the last 24 hours, from 5:00 am of 19 September to 5:00 am today. The PHIVOLCS also said that Mt. Mayon registered nine volcanic eruptions and 147 rockfall events in the same period.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will celebrate its 75th Founding Anniversary on 15 April at Shangri-La The Fort Manila. The event will commemorate the PRC’s 75 years of transformative humanitarian service and will give due recognition to PRC donors and volunteers for years spent alleviating human suffering and uplifting human dignity.

“April 15 is a day of celebration, the day we express our appreciation to our donors and volunteers who embodied the values and mission of the PRC in the last 75 years,” PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said.

PRC’s passionately uplifting programs for the most vulnerable provide the incentive for old and new local and international donors to continue building partnerships with PRC. Last March, conglomerates and houses of the Congress chose PRC to assist in their donations to victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, which is considered the strongest earthquake that hit the region for over 80 years.

The PRC’s enhanced logistics department partnered with the increasing number of volunteers inspired by Chairman Gordon’s vision and supported by PRC’s Operations Center (Information Technology) fulfills the equation “Volunteers + Logistics + Information Technology = A Red Cross that is Always First, Always Ready, and Always There. This mantra guides PRC in its responses to vulnerable communities, especially recent ones such as Typhoon Karding, the North Luzon Earthquake, and Typhoon Paeng.

“As we venture into the next 75 years of humanitarian work, the Philippine Red Cross is prepared for stronger and more frequent disasters as climate change rears it ugly head,” added Chairman Gordon.

PRC Chapters nationwide will also hold simultaneous activities to celebrate the 75 years of PRC. Among the activities are Mass Lecture-Demo on First Aid/CPR, RC143 Recruitment/Orientation, Blood Donation Drives, Walk for Humanity/Parade, Clean up Drive, Fund Run, Medical Mission and Operation Tuli, Webinar Podcast, Concert for a Cause, and Tree Planting.

PRC Secretary General Dr. Gwendolyn T. Pang said that the PRC has developed not just as the foremost humanitarian organization in the country but also as one of the best Red Cross societies in the world.

The combined forces of a low-pressure area and the shear line, brought incessant rains and fatal floods, and caused humanitarian emergencies in Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. In addition to intense rescue operations and other humanitarian assistance, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) scaled up its food assistance and served hot meals to 8, 434 flood victims in eight hard-hit provinces and municipalities from January 1 to 20: Misamis Occidental – Oroqueita City, Misamis Oriental – Gingoog City, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Lapu-Lapu City, Zamboanga City, Sulu-Jolo, and Northern Samar.

The immediate aftermath of any disaster is disruption of access to food. Displaced families are unable to prepare their food. This threatens the health, nutrition, and well-being of affected communities. The PRC food trucks, provide hot meals within 24 hours of a disaster, seek to address the limited food supply in affected areas.

“Displacement has disrupted the food supply of our kababayans in Visayas, Mindanao, and some parts of Palawan. Our volunteers are mobilized and our food trucks are immediately deployed in affected areas to serve hot meals to affected people, especially children,” Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon said.

From January 01 to 20, the PRC Chapters in the affected areas alongside their Welfare teams dispatched four food trucks and served hot meals in the forms of rice, chicken, vegetables, egg, pansit, Arroz caldo, and champorado to displaced children and adults.

PRC likewise prepared its rescue equipment and provided the following additional humanitarian aid to communities affected by shear line-induced rains: 421, 900 liters of clean water, children activities, psychological first aid sessions to 1, 940 individuals, 645 medicines against Leptospirosis, hygiene kits to 464 families, sleeping kits to 612 families, jerry cans to 524 families, and kitchen sets to 546 families.

As the world celebrates International Volunteers Day on December 5, 2022, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) honors its chairman and CEO, Richard J. Gordon, as a volunteer. Gordon started volunteering at the Red Cross a young age, in 1968. He marks 54 years of being a Red Cross volunteer this year.

Volunteerism probably runs in Gordon’s family. To be exact, he might have “inherited” the trait from his mother. At a young age, he witnessed his mother provide care for many orphaned or abandoned children. It was also his mother, herself a Red Cross leader, who introduced Gordon to what would be, under his leadership, the premier humanitarian organization in the country.

Before becoming PRC’s chairman and CEO in 2004, Gordon as city mayor of Olongapo led around 8,000 volunteers from all walks of life to transform Subic Bay into the a special economic zone after the termination of US Naval Base’s operations there. When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, Gordon was among the key government officials who led the response and recovery of Central Luzon.

As chairman and CEO of PRC, Gordon would lead notable humanitarian responses, such as the Ginsaugon landslide response, the Super Ferry response, and the Super Typhoon Haiyan response, which is the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s biggest humanitarian response to date.

Gordon’s brand of volunteerism emanates from his love for the country and its people. This love was once again demonstrated when he worked tirelessly with his colleagues in 2020 to rapidly put up molecular laboratories capable of automated testing of Covid-19, so that the country would be able to detect virus transmission and isolate those infected.

Gordon collaborated with his colleagues at PRC in developing the concept of and launching the barangay-based Red Cross 143 volunteer network, which is what makes PRC able to gather information from the ground and respond quickly in disasters and emergencies.

Gordon’s influence as a Red Cross leader is far-reaching. His colleagues at the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and government disaster managers seek his wisdom from his 54 years of experience as a volunteer and leader of the PRC.

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Philippine Red Cross

Born officially in 1947, but with roots that traces back to the revolutionary days, the Philippine Red Cross has truly become the premier humanitarian organization in the country, committed to provide quality life-saving services that protect the life and dignity especially of indigent Filipinos in vulnerable situations.

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