Philippine Red Cross

PH Red Cross Joins World First Aid Day 2022 Celebration

Written on September 9, 2022. Posted in Features, News and Events.

Philippine Red Cross staff and volunteers first aid training

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) stresses the importance of training in first aid as it joins the World First Aid Day celebration on September 12, with the theme “Lifelong First Aid.” The world celebrates World First Aid Day every second Saturday of September.

Emergencies such as a fall, poisoning, and choking can occur at home, at work, and in social settings. Having a trained first aider ensures prompt action can be taken. The first four minutes of an emergency is a critical period; if action is taken, the patient has higher chances of survival. PRC’s first aid training course includes Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), an emergency lifesaving procedure done on patients whose hearts have stopped beating. Researches show that cardiac arrest patients who are given CPR in pre-hospital settings have higher chances of survival.

PRC Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon envisions having one member per Filipino family who knows first aid, including CPR. “Kapag may training ka sa first aid, may lakas ng loob ka rumesponde kapag may emergency, na maaaring mangyari sa mga oras na kasama mo ang iyong pamilya, mga kaibigan, o mga ka-opisina” Gordon said.

The PRC Safety Services Team has trained over 58,000 individuals in first aid from January 1, 2022 to September 26, 2022 in its 102 chapters. It provides the following first aid training courses: (1) Standard First Aid Training and Basic Life Support/CPR – AED Training, (2) Occupational First Aid Training and Basic Life Support/CPR – AED Training, and (3) Emergency First Aid Training. Those who have taken any of the courses may renew their certificate every two years.

Those interested in taking a first aid training course with the PRC may call the following numbers: (02) 8790-2365 / 8790-2366 for further information.

PH Red Cross Now Offers COVID-19 Antigen Tests, Faster and Cheaper COVID Testing

Written on September 8, 2022. Posted in News and Events.

Philippine Red Cross now offer COVID-19 antigen tests

Mandaluyong City, Philippines – Today, September 8, 2022, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) announces its COVID-19 Antigen Test, a faster and cheaper COVID-19 testing alternative.

PRC Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon said that starting this Thursday, PRC’s molecular laboratories at the PLMC Building in Mandaluyong City and the PRC Port Area Offices will be offering COVID-19 antigen tests for Php400.00.

“The pandemic is still here, and there is still a critical need in our country to continue testing. Although Omicron infections appear milder, there is a need to urge caution because the virus is still spreading. Now with our COVID-19 antigen testing, PRC can provide diagnosis in minutes. With the price of 400 pesos, it is within reach of our people,” said Gordon.

Booking an appointment for PRC’s antigen test can be done through book.redcross.com.ph.

The country’s foremost humanitarian organization reminds the public that RT-PCR Swab and Saliva tests are still the gold standard when it comes to detecting COVID-19. Both are still available at the PRC molecular laboratories.

PRC is at the frontlines of this pandemic, winning our war against COVID-19 through its innovative actions, including the establishment of molecular laboratories to test the population. The first laboratory started operation in April 2020, the first of its kind in the country. Since then, PRC has tested almost 6 MILLION swab and saliva samples for CoVID-19. Testing is important to know who among the population is positive in order to have these people treated and isolated from the general public.

“Ang Philippine Red Cross ang kauna-unahang nagkaroon ng automated RT-PCR tests sa Pilipinas. Araw-araw, sinisikap ng aming volunteers at staff na laging maging una, laging handa, at laging nandyan para sa ating mga kababayan sa panahon ng emergency at sakuna. Maraming nasagip na buhay dahil sa mga laboratories ng PRC,” Gordon said.

PH Red Cross continues to help TY Odette-affected communities in Bohol, Cebu to get humanitarian assistance

Written on September 7, 2022. Posted in News and Events.

Bohol and Cebu receives assistance from PRC 8 months after TY Odette

TRed Cross continues to help TY Odette-affected communities in Bohol, Cebu to get humanitarian assistance

More than eight months after Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) struck the Philippines, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), in partnership with the American Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), provided cash and emergency shelter assistance to 4,856 families from 19 barangays in Bohol, Cebu province, and Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu today, September 6.

Six hundred seven families received Php5,000.00 cash assistance, while 4,249 families were provided CGI (corrugated galvanized iron) sheets and shelter tool kits worth Php9,600.00. The total value of humanitarian aid distributed amounted to Php43.825 million. Today’s distribution is part of the more than Php455 million humanitarian and development assistance the PRC has allocated to families affected by Typhoon Odette and other calamities that affected Mindanao and Visayas from December 2021 to September 2022.

“Katulad ng sinabi ko sa simula ng 2022, hindi natin kakalimutan ang Typhoon Odette. Kaya nandito pa rin ang Red Cross para sa mga pamilyang lubos na naapektuhan, hanggang sila ay makabawi mula sa mga epekto ng Odette. Sabi nga ng Philippine Red Cross hymn, ‘When the world no longer watches, we do what must be done,’” Gordon emphasized.

Other partners of the PRC in these activities are the German Red Cross, the Spanish Red Cross, and the European Union. PRC’s cash, emergency shelter, and livelihood assistance distribution also covers Southern Leyte, Leyte, Palawan, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Dinagat Islands, Siargao, Surigao del Norte, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur.

PH Red Cross to reach more than Php455 million humanitarian and development aid in Visayas and Mindanao this September 2022

Written on August 25, 2022. Posted in News and Events.

Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon reports that from December 2021 to September 2022, the PRC will have distributed more than Php455 million in humanitarian and development aid to Visayas and Mindanao. The figure represents only the cost of the humanitarian organization’s TY Odette response, TD Agaton response, and Peace and Development Project in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDBARMM). It does not include PRC’s other response operations and development projects in Visayas and Mindanao, such as its Covid-19 response.

“Mula noong bumagsak ang bagyong Odette noong December 2021, hanggang sa darating na September, tayo ay makakapamahagi na ng Php455 million na tulong sa Mindanao at Visayas. Namigay kami ng shelter assistance, hot meals, tubig, food and non-food items, psychological support, cash, at iba pa. At mula ngayong linggo, mamimigay ulit kami ng cash, shelter, at livelihood assistance,” Gordon shared.

In partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the German Red Cross, the Spanish Red Cross, and European Union, PRC kicked off yesterday, August 24, its response, recovery, and development project distribution activities that will last until the third week of September.

Yesterday, the PRC provided cash and emergency shelter assistance to more than 400 families affected by Typhoon Odette in San Francisco and Pintuyan towns in Southern Leyte. Each family received Php5,000.00, CGI (corrugated galvanized iron) sheets, and shelter tool kits. The humanitarian aid distribution makes a total of more than 6,000 Odette-affected families in Southern Leyte who have received cash and emergency shelter assistance from the PRC since the typhoon made landfall on December 16, 2021.

The PRC team also went to Hilongos City yesterday and gave CGI sheets and shelter tool kits to 400 Odette-affected families. Earlier in the year, in March 2022, PRC granted cash assistance to 491 families in Hilongos.

In his message to the people of Southern Leyte, via Zoom, Gordon explained that other countries help the Philippines because the PRC also helps them. He added that the Filipinos have dignity and they receive help not because they are pitiful, but because they help themselves. “Masarap tulungan ang tumutulong sa sarili,” Gordon explained. “Kapag may mga ganyan [referring to disasters and emergencies], nag-a-appeal ako, nag-a-appeal po and Red Cross n’yo, at tumutulong ang iba’t-ibang bansa,” Gordon added.

PRC’s volunteers and staff then proceeded to Baybay City and provided cash assistance to 587 families severely affected by Tropical Depression Agaton, which caused heavy flooding and landslides in Baybay in April this year.

IFRC’s Head of Delegation in the Philippines, Alberto Bocanegra, praised the PRC via Zoom for its response to people affected by Odette and Agaton. “We are super proud of the work of the Philippine Red Cross, one of the most prominent National Societies worldwide — and of course the leadership of Chairman Gordon and Secretary General Elizabeth Zavalla,” he said.

PRC’s cash, emergency shelter, and livelihood assistance distribution from August 24 to September 8 will also cover Palawan, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Bohol, Dinagat Islands, Siargao, Surigao del Norte, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur.

Gordon Leads Continuous Aid to Odette- and Agaton-Stricken Provinces, To Distribute Php173 Million Cash and Emergency Shelter Assistance

Written on August 24, 2022. Posted in News and Events.

Philippine Red Cross cash and shelter kit tool distribution at San Francisco, Southern Leyte

San Francisco, Southern Leyte — Eight months after Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) struck the Philippines, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), in partnership with the German Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), continues to assist severely affected communities. It also sustains its support to Baybay City, which was badly hit by Tropical Depression Agaton in April this year. Starting this week, the PRC will be distributing 173 MILLION PESOS worth of cash and emergency shelter assistance in Southern Leyte, Leyte, Palawan, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Bohol, Dinagat Islands, Siargao, and Surigao del Norte.

Today, the PRC, under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon, will provide cash and emergency shelter assistance to more than 400 families in San Francisco and Pintuyan towns in Southern Leyte. Each family will receive Php5,000.00, CGI (corrugated galvanized iron) sheets, and shelter tool kits. Today’s humanitarian aid distribution makes a total of more than 6,000 Odette-affected families in Southern Leyte province who have received cash and emergency shelter assistance from the PRC, amounting to 40.78 million pesos.

400 families in Hilongos, Southern Leyte will also receive CGI sheets and shelter tool kits. Earlier in the year, in March 2022, PRC also gave cash to 491 families in Hilongos, amounting to a total of Php2,455,000.00.

In Baybay, PRC will provide cash assistance to 587 families, with a total amount of Php2,935,000.00 as part of its response operations.

“Katulad ng sinabi ko sa simula ng 2022, hindi natin kakalimutan ang Typhoon Odette. At nandito tayo nang pangmatagalan para sa mga naapektuhan ng Tropical Depression Agaton. Patuloy ang Red Cross sa pagtulong sa ating mga kababayan sa Southern Leyte at Leyte hanggang sila ay makabawi mula sa mga epekto ng Odette at Agaton. Sabi nga ng Philippine Red Cross hymn, ‘When the world no longer watches, we do what must be done’,” Gordon emphasized.

Gordon welcomes Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ambassador to the Philippines, discusses partnership possibilities

Written on August 23, 2022. Posted in News and Events.

Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon welcomed His Excellency Hisham Sultan Abdullah Alqahtani, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Philippines, last Thursday, August 18, 2022.

The visit aimed at enhancing strategic partnership and cooperation between the PRC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its embassy in the Philippines to address the needs of Marawi City and other affected areas of Mindanao. During his visit, Ambassador Alqahtani mentioned that their government looks forward to delivering assistance at the quickest time and that the Philippine Red Cross, through the leadership of Chairman Gordon, has the mechanism to help Saudi Arabia send assistance to the most vulnerable communities.

“I am proud and honored to sit with Chairman Gordon to find mechanisms to deliver assistance at the quickest time. Chairman Gordon is a great man. He is an expert in disaster management and well respected by the international community,” H.E. Alqatani said.

In the past, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia embassy, through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief project, supported the PRC through donations of food baskets to meet the food needs of up to 1,000 families or 5,000 individuals affected by the armed conflict in Mindanao.

“We are grateful that H.E. Alqahtani honors us to discuss partnership possibilities with the PRC. The PRC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are one in achieving our goal to alleviate human suffering and uplift the dignity of the most vulnerable communities,” Chairman Gordon said.

“Just last month, the delegates from Saudi Red Crescent Authority also visited us as well. This just shows that the Philippine Red Cross is respected and well received by the international community, making PRC the partner of choice,” added Gordon.

Tropical Storm Florita Developments being monitored: Philippine Red Cross ready to respond

Written on August 23, 2022. Posted in News and Events.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon alerted its volunteers and staff and prepared its assets as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that a low pressure area is now a tropical depression with its local name Florita on Sunday, August 21.

“Bago pa man pumasok ang tag-ulan ngayong taon, handa na ang Red Cross na magbigay tulong sa ating mga kababayan. Bilang katuwang ng pamahalaan, laging maaasahan ang serbisyong hatid ng Red Cross. Katuwang natin ang ating mga volunteer at staff na walang takot na magbigay ng tulong sa gitna ng mga posibleng panganib dulot ng bagyo,” Chairman Gordon said.

Under the weather conditions stated in its bulletin issued at 5 am today, August 22, the state weather bureau also reported that scattered to widespread flooding and rain-induced landslides are expected, especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards.

With this report, the PRC advises the public to follow the organization’s 4Ps: Predict, Plan, Prepare, and Practice. Upholding its mantra “Volunteers + Logistics + Information Technology = a Red Cross that is Always First, Always Ready, Always There,” the PRC, under the leadership of Chairman Gordon, has maintained its modern operations with assets delivering quick services to emergency situations arising due to hazards.

PRC chapters with situational reports in Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Quirino, and Southern Leyte have alerted RCAT/RC 143 volunteers to monitor their areas and prepare rescue equipment. Volunteers and staff are on standby for any untoward incidents caused by heavy rainfall.

For any emergency assistance, please call the PRC’s Operations Center at 143 or 790-23-00.

World Humanitarian Day 2022: PH Red Cross encourages more volunteers to build a village of heroes

Written on August 19, 2022. Posted in Features, News and Events.

With this year’s theme “It Takes a Village,” the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) celebrates World Humanitarian Day, today, August 19.

As the foremost humanitarian organization in the country, the PRC provides six major services: Blood Services, Disaster Management Services, Safety Services, Health Services, Social Services, Red Cross Youth, and Volunteer Services. PRC volunteers continue to inspire more communities as they share their resources, time, and efforts to build bigger and stronger villages of humanitarian workers to alleviate human suffering.

“Sa pagdiriwang natin ng World Humanitarian Day, taos-puso kong pinasasalamatan ang lahat ng ating mga volunteer, staff, at donor na mula sa iba’t ibang larangan at sektor ng lipunan at nagkakaisa upang maisakatuparan ang layunin ng Red Cross,” Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon said.

The PRC, through its Red Cross 143, promotes a culture of self-help in the communities by developing a network of volunteers trained to predict potential risk, plan, prepare, and practice for effective community-based disaster risk reduction.

Chairman Gordon also encourages all Filipinos to take part in the heroism of the PRC by efficiently delivering humanitarian services as this act saves lives of the vulnerable individuals.

To become a PRC volunteer, contact the Volunteer Service Office at 7902300 local 945 or send an email at [email protected].

As Covid cases rise anew, Gordon encourages public to get tested to prevent undetected transmission of the virus

Written on August 16, 2022. Posted in News and Events.

Mandaluyong City — As the country sees an increasing number of new cases of Covid-19, Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon encourages the public to get tested to prevent the undetected transmission of the virus. The Department of Health Covid-19 tracker shows an increasing number of new cases added daily, based on a 7-day moving average.

“With the alarming increase in positivity rates in the past weeks, and as we see more and more of our friends and family developing symptoms, we at the PRC encourage everyone to get tested to ensure that we and our loved ones are safe from Covid,” Chairman Gordon said.

At the onset of the pandemic, in 2020, the PRC was the first to set up a molecular laboratory in the country that is capable of conducting automated RT-PCR tests to detect Covid-19. The PRC’s first molecular laboratory started operations in April 2020, one month after former President Duterte declared a community quarantine in the National Capital Region. The setting up of molecular laboratories was the PRC’s response to the need for “unmasking the enemy,” or revealing infections, so that persons infected could be isolated and not infect others.

As of August 14, 2022, the PRC has completed more than 5.6 million swab and saliva RT-PCR tests in the country. Go to https://tinyurl.com/2wwvnz2j to book an RT-PCR test. The PRC molecular laboratories offer discounts to senior citizens and persons with disability.

PH Red Cross and Jungkook fan group hold bloodletting activity to celebrate idol’s birthday

Written on August 16, 2022. Posted in Features, News and Events.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and Korean pop star Jeon Jungkook’s fan group BFM Kookiebunnies held a bloodletting activity last Saturday, August 13, at the PRC National Blood Center, in Mandaluyong City, to celebrate their idol’s upcoming birthday on September 1. Jungkook is the youngest member of the global entertainment phenomenon BTS, a South Korean boy band composed of seven members, who individually have a claim to stardom. The bloodletting activity drew Jungkook fans, resulting in 66 units of blood collected.

Voluntary blood donation is a regular activity of the Philippine Red Cross as part of its commitment to save lives. “One of the ways to save lives is to provide blood to someone who needs it. We greatly appreciate the individuals and groups that partner with us in this noble endeavor,” PRC Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon said.

From January 1 to August 14, 2022, the PRC has served 144,410 patients needing blood products in its 102 blood service facilities nationwide. For blood donations, blood requests, and other inquiries, email the PRC National Blood Services at [email protected] or contact the PRC Blood Call Center, which may be reached nationwide by dialing 143.

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