Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Red Cross taps schools for blood supply By Ian Ocampo Flora
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Philippine National Red Cross (PNCR) recently brought its drive to promote blood donation among schools to Pampanga.
The PNCR on Monday visited the University of the Assumption (UA) here where around a hundred volunteer students donated blood to the blood bank of the Angeles-Pampanga Chapter of the PNCR.
PNRC provincial administrator Augusto Ocampo said the campaign is a way of promoting community responsibility of promoting blood donation. He added that since the closure of the commercial blood banks in the country, the task of supplying the need for blood during operations and emergencies had been given to the PNCR.
"The local communities and institutions should realize that the task of donating blood is a responsibility that we should address. This also promotes good health and willing donors are advised to make their bodies healthy," Ocampo said.
The UA is the eighth institution visited by the PNCR since the start of this year. Blood-letting campaigns were also conducted at the Angeles City Hall, Basa Airbase in Floridablanca, and Holy Angel University.
The blood-letting program was initiated in cooperation with the College Red Cross of the UA.
According to Joyce Anne Diaz of the College Red Cross, the event also served as the culminating activity of the organization in commemoration of the Blood Donor's Month.
The Blood Donor's Month is celebrated nationwide to honor and give recognition to people who donated their precious and life-saving blood without any monetary consideration in order to give the most valuable gift of all - which is to save someone's life.
This year's theme is "Celebrating your gift of blood...be one of us, donate blood". The celebration aims to gain support from the local government units (LGUs), PNRC, allied medical staff, the voluntary blood donors and other stakeholders.
Health experts say donating blood gives an array of health benefits. Blood donation is said to remove some of the excess iron, which can cause free radical formation in the body.
Some studies have also shown that men who donate blood on a regular basis have a lower risk of heart disease. With heart disease being the number one cause of death in males, Ocampo added that it is very important to donate blood.
"Somehow blood donors are also helping save the lives of others in need of blood," Ocampo stressed.
