15 Nov Philippine Flood Relief 2013
CCCG, through the leadership of President Lai, originally raised $20,000 in funds for typhoon relief in the Philippines.The Board of Directors later determined that providing medical supplies to the poor in the Philippines through the assistance of the Ayuda Foundation was an efficient and beneficial use of the funds.
Over eight months of planning went into this project. The overall Coordinator for the project was Lea Santos, a local resident of Guam for many years, who worked in conjunction with Carlotta Leon Guerrero, President of the Ayuda Foundation. They worked together with Med Share U.S. and the Philippine Department of Public Health, to arrange the collection and shipment of medical supplies to the Philippines. With the assistance of the Office of the President in the Philippines, it was determined that the Caraga Regional Hospital in Surigao City, a government hospital, was the most appropriate beneficiary for the receipt of the funds. Caraga Regional Hospital is required to treat all patients, regardless of ability to pay.
Med Share arranged the shipment of medical supplies to the Philippines. Lea Santos, together with Smart (major cellphone provider in the Philippines), arranged the shipment of the supplies within the Philippines from Manila to Cagayan de Oro to Surigao City (over 200 kilometers). The supplies had to be transported with armed guards and arrived at the Hospital on the day before the turnover ceremony.
On August 5, 2011, I flew from Manila to Surigao City in North Eastern Mindanao. I was met at the airport by Dr. Cheryl Gotinga, a Pediatrician from the Hospital, and some of the Nurses. When I arrived at the hospital, we had a nice lunch of chicken, fish, rice and vegetables. The Turnover Ceremony commenced at about 2:00 P.M. in the afternoon. At that time, there was a logistical problem as the Maersk van with the supplies could not come to the Hospital gate because of power and telephone lines. Individuals with long sticks had to lift the wires so that the van could be positioned by the Hospital entrance!
I and Ariel Valencia, Regional Director of the Philippine Department of Public Health, cut the ribbon on the container and presented the medical supplies to the Hospital Administrator, Dr. Andres M. Dolar. A broad range of medical supplies was provided to the Caraga Regional Hospital, including such items as bandages, catheters, diapers, forceps, gloves, etc. A complete packing list is also submitted herewith. As the Packing List shows, the value for the medical supplies is indicated as $127,033.80. Lea Santos indicates that the actual value of the supplies is even considerably more. So, the CCCG donation was highly leveraged: our contribution of $20K resulted in a donation of far greater value to the Caraga Regional Hospital.
Each participant spoke at the Turnover Ceremony. The CCCG Logo proudly appeared on the banner for the Turnover Ceremony. I presented the Hospital Administrator with a copy of the CCCG 2012 Directory. I recognized the efforts of everyone connected with the project and emphasized the fundraising efforts of our President and Directors.
The Administrator of Caraga Regional Hospital and Dr. Cheryl Gotinga were extremely appreciative of the donation of CCCG. They took me on a tour of the Hospital. The hospital can surely use the medical supplies. The Hospital appears to be an older facility with somewhat crowded accommodations. However, there is now construction for some private rooms for the Hospital, and the opening of a new hospital building within a year is contemplated. I feel that the project was most successful, and CCCG has considerably aided the patients of the Hospital with needed medical supplies. The CCCG commends Ms. Lea Santos for her dedicated work and leadership on the project.
