ADVOCATES of hemophilia awareness are now pushing for the passage of the Hemophilia Bill, or Senate Bill 1335, proposed by Sen. Joel Villanueva and Sen. Nancy Binay and Senate Bill 1389 by Sen. JV Ejercito entitled "Bleeding Disorders Standard of Care Bill."
Hemophilia is a kind of life-long bleeding disorder that is hereditary. There are two types of hemophilia: Hemophilia A, which is the common type, and Hemophilia B.
Hematologist Jinny Ong saidduring the Pulong-Pulong ni Pulong Tuesday, April 17, that around 10,000 Filipinos are suffering from hemophilia. In Davao Region, there are 140 persons recorded with the disorder with three deaths, one for this year and two last year.
Symptoms of the disorder include bleeding, shedding of teeth and long-time healing of wounds.
"One of the symptoms is bleeding. Compared to other people when you are hit, they will only suffer from a purplish patch on their skin unlike us, we bleed," according to Lexzar Gabriel Gador, hemophilia patient, during an interview.
The advocates would like to talk with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to support them as the medicines for the disorder is very expensive.
In line with this, Davao City, together with other countries, celebrated the World Hemophilia Day by holding a Light It Up Ceremony yesterday,
after it was voted unanimously by all the members of the Sanggunian Panlungsod.
The ceremony was done by lighting the red statue in front of the building of Sangguniang Panlalawigan for an hour.
The goal of the proposed bill is to help the hemophilia patients not only in Davao but also in other places in the Philippines.
President Rodrigo Duterte supports the hemophilia patients by donating P500,000 to purchase Factor 8, a clotting protein for Hemophilia A patients, making Davao City as the only place in the Philippines to have this. Jamille Galido Monforte, FSUU Intern