Monday, December 31, 2007 Post-Christmas medical mission for indigents
ANGELES CITY -- Six hundred indigents from a barangay here were the beneficiaries of a medical and dental mission sponsored by the local government and a medical foundation in a post Christmas medical and dental mission.
The Tomas Dizon Foundation has joined hands with barangay officials here led by Barangay Captain Robin Nepomuceno to provide free medicines along with medical and dental services to indigent families of Barangay Cutcut here recently.
Barangay Cutcut is the rear side of Angeles City near Porac town and is reputed to be one of the most populous and congested barangays of the city.
Councilor Baby Sigua said the program was part of a series of projects undertaken by Nepomuceno to ensure the availability of medical services to his marginalized constituents. This is a move to somehow bridge the gap of health services that remain to be beyond the reach of ordinary Filipinos.
"The barangay has done similar projects in the past, but it is only now that Tomas Dizon Foundation has joined us in our project," Sigua said.
The foundation has managed to put in eight volunteer doctors to man the medical and dental services. The project was made possible through consultative talks with the city government, Home Emergency Response Office (HOME), Civil Engineering Office (CEO) and the General Services Office (GSO) who provided the manpower and logistics support. Sigua said the local government would assume the responsibility of augmentation and bringing forward possible beneficiaries.
"We made sure that our first priority would be indigent families that we have scouted. The foundation has done almost everything since they have the medicines and all. The local government, on the other hand, would augment in case that the medicines would not be able to cover all the beneficiaries," said Councilor Beth Angeles.
The medical services included check-ups and consultation with free medicines ranging from vitamins to antibiotics. The dental service was only limited to tooth extraction due to budgetary constraints. Joining the event was City Mayor Francis Blueboy Nepomuceno, and councilors June Vega, Guaning Dayrit, Nestor Datu, Ed Bundalian and Noel Pineda.
The police augmentation came from Chief Superintendent Medy Manalo of Police Station 5 and Compac Comander Ernesto Silva. (Ian Ocampo Flora)
