ANGELES CITY- Zambales Vice-Governor Ramon Lacbain Thursday urged members of the Rotary Clubs of Balibago, Clarkfield, Mabalacat and Magalang to help provide low cost medicines to various communities here through "Botika Tamu" livelihood project.
Lacbain discussed the project during the First Intercity Meeting organized by the said Rotary clubs at Graceland Restaurant here.
The Botika Tamu project is an off-shoot of the Botika Natin sa Nayon, a brainchild of Lacbain, which is now very successful in Zambales province and Olongapo City.
The Botika Tamu aims to provide safe, affordable and generic medicines to poor communities. Lacbain said the project is not a business enterprise.
"In fact, we discouraged that barangays and barangay officials would get involved in the project. We want these to be operated by the people and have the barangay officials monitor the prices instead. The project also aims to propagate the advantage of using generic medicines," Lacbain said.
Launched in 2004, the PITC-Pharma, Inc. (PPI), in coordination with the Department of Health and the Bureau of Food and Drugs, is currently implementing the Botika ng Bayan Program.
Through the program, qualified privately-operated drug retail outlets nationwide comprise the sales and distribution network for low priced, high quality medicines.
The Botika ng Bayan seal is the mark of guaranteed quality and affordable prices.
Lacbain said with Rotary's community involvement, it would be easy to establish such projects in barangays here.
President Tony Shilton of Rotary Club of Mabalacat said that Lacbain's proposal presents a good opportunity in propagating Rotary programs, particularly in health.
"We are happy with this opportunity that is being presented to us by Vice-Governor Lacbain and we are very much interested in this project of his. We may soon see our communities have their own Botika Tamu projects soon," Shilton said, also lauding the efforts of Lacbain's in community service.
Lacbain is credited for putting up the Zambales War Against Poverty Foundation, Inc. and the Zambales Mass Media Development Foundation, Inc.
Currently, he is actively involved in mobilizing people in remote communities to operate their small community pharmacies called Botika Natin sa Nayon, which has a total of 319 outlets now and six distribution centers all-over Zambales and Olongapo City.
The said project has been operating for three years, providing communities access to low cost medicines.