Philippine Red Cross | Humanitarian Organization in the Philippines

To further help curb the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 20,000 vaccine doses are to be administered by Philippine Red Cross(PRC) Chapters to support the upcoming third round of the National Vaccination Days this February 10 and 11, 2022.

” Kahit marami hamon ngayon ang ating bansa, ang Red Cross ay patuloy na nagpapadala ng mga bakuna sa mga tao, at palagi naming tinitiyak ang kaligtasan at pagiging epektibo ng mga bakuna dahil. Tulong-tulong tayong upang mapigilan na ang pandemya,” said Chairman and CEO Senator Dick Gordon.

According to the PRC Health Services, 42 PRC Chapters will operate 17 Bakuna Centers, 11 Bakuna Buses, and 26 Bakuna Teams to provide primary and booster doses. The PRC will also mobilize around 600 volunteers as vaccinators and support volunteers for the vaccination days.

Meanwhile, as the government has now expanded the vaccination program to the younger population, teams are now preparing for pediatric vaccinations for those aged 5 to 11 that target to be launched before the end of the month.

As of February 8, 2022, the PRC has administered 984, 764 doses while fully vaccinating 340, 560 individuals since launching its vaccination program on March 2021.

The PRC National Vaccination Program is made possible through the support of the International Federation of Red Cross(ICRC), Netherlands Red Cross, German Red Cross, corporate partners such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola Foundation, LAZADA, and Bakuna Bus partners; Victory Liner, Ceres Bus, and UBE Express.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) conducted a multi-purpose cash grant to 300 families in the municipality of Ubay, Bohol to help them recover from the damage brought by Super Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai).

PRC headed to the Municipality of Ubay, Bohol to distribute PHP 3,500 in cash assistance to families heavily affected by the typhoon. PRC also set up a first aid station and had an ambulance on standby to conduct medical consultations, mask distribution, BP Monitoring, and health promotions at Poblacion, Ubay, Bohol.

“Patuloy ang Philippine Red Cross sa paghahatid ng tulong sa mga naapektuhan ng bagyong Odette. Hatid namin ay pag-asa sa bagong taon. Narito kami hanggang makabangon kayo at makatayo sa inyong mga paa,” Chairman Dick Gordon said.

Last December 16, 2021, when Typhoon Odette entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility, Chairman Gordon ordered the deployment of their humanitarian caravan in Bohol to provide immediate assistance to typhoon-affected families

The humanitarian caravan contains a Water Tanker, Food truck, an Ambulance, Payloader, a 6×6 Truck, two sets of generators, 5,000 face masks, 5,000 sando bags of relief items, 1,000 eco-bags of relief goods, 200 boxes (10,000 pcs RTE), and medicines.

As part of the Typhoon Odette response, PRC established their welfare desk which oversees the dispensing of hot meals, clean water distribution, clearing operations, hygiene promotion, and contact tracing. Chairman Gordon also deployed additional water tankers to provide a continuous supply of unpolluted water to prevent cases like diarrhea from happening.

Last 2014, through the leadership of Chairman Gordon, PRC turned over 2,050 houses to families affected by the Bohol Earthquake 2014.

“Mula noon, hanggang ngayon, ang Red Cross ay laging nariyan kung saan nangangailangan ng tulong,” Gordon added.

WITH THE rapid increase of dengue cases in the country, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), under the leadership of Chairman Richard Gordon, deployed medical tents to assist hospitals currently experiencing an overflow of patients.

The Red Cross has set up 10 airconditioned medical tents in most affected hospitals—Balasan District Hospital, Sara District Hospital, and Guimbal District Hospital in Iloilo; Tapaz District Hospital and Bailan District Hospital in Capiz; Aklan Provincial Hospital; Pagamutang Bayan ng Dasmarinas in Cavite, and Gregorio Lluch Memorial Hospital in Iligan.

These hospital tents have now served 2,526 patients—mostly children aged eight months old to 12 years old.

Vida Obon, mother of a one-year-old patient at PRC’s medical tent in a hospital in Cavite, feared the possibility of having her son transferred to a hospital in Manila, which is a two-to-three-hour ride from the province.

“Noong nasa emergency room kami, sabi ng doctor, wala nang kama dahil sa sobrang dami ng pasyente,” Obon said. “Natuwa naman ako nung sinabi na merong tent ang Red Cross. Dahil dito, hindi na kami kailangang ma-transfer sa malayong hospital.”

According to Richard Soriano, father of an 11-year-old patient, the congestion in the hospital raised concerns that his son PJ, who was diagnosed with scoliosis, could worsen his condition.

“Palaging sumasakit ang likod niya kaya natakot ako na baka mailagay siya sa siksikan na kama. Buti na lang dito sa tent ng Red Cross, maluwag. Nakakapagpahinga siya ng maayos,” Soriano said.

PRC, in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the German Red Cross, continues to support the Department of Health (DOH) to assist hospitals, especially in rural areas.

The deployment of medical tents is part of Gordon’s three-point strategy to address the dengue crisis—decongest hospitals, ensure the adequacy of safe and quality blood supply, and conduct massive information and cleanup drives.

“Hindi na magsisiksikan sa mga ospital ng Dasmariñas, Iloilo, Capiz, Iligan at Aklan ang mga may sakit ng Dengue. Lingid man sa kaalaman ng karamihan, hindi tumitigil ang PRC sa pagtulong sa mga nangangailangan, umulan man o umaraw,” Gordon said.

Latest report from the DOH shows that the number of dengue-related deaths this year spiked up to 882—a 63-percent increase from last year—while 208,917 dengue have been affected by the dengue crisis.