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Saturday, April 15, 2023 Vol. 18 No. 180
P25.00 nationwide | 18 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
At 75, PRC evolves from merely blood provider to modern, full-service humanitarian organization
IN this November 19, 2013, file photo, Typhoon Yolanda survivors pass by hundreds of victims lying in body bags on the roadside until forensic experts can register and bury them in a mass grave outside of Tacloban. AP/DAVID GUTTENFELDER
PHILIPPINE Red Cross volunteers and residents cross a flooded road due to Typhoon Jolina (Conson) at Usab village, Masbate, on September 7, 2021. PHILIPPINE RED CROSS VIA AP
IN this November 2, 2020, file photo, a Philippine Red Cross volunteer views damage from Typhoon Rolly (Goni) in Bato, Catanduanes. PHILIPPINE RED CROSS VIA AP
A PHILIPPINE Red Cross volunteer passes under toppled electrical posts after Typhoon Rolly (Goni) passed by San Andres, Catanduanes, November 2, 2020. PHILIPPINE RED CROSS VIA AP
RED Cross volunteers walk along a collapsed wall after a strong earthquake hit Ilocos Sur on July 27, 2022. PHILIPPINE RED CROSS VIA AP
By Roderick L. Abad
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formative years of this philanthropic association, its primary role back then was to collect blood from donors. “The Red Cross was known for blood in 1947, when we got our independence [and, then,] when we first got our Charter by International Convention. Also, disasters were forthcoming in the 1950s, [with the rise of the] Hukbalahap [Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon],” Gordon told the BusinessMirror in an interview. “In fairness to the past, the Red Cross people in V. Luna, they gave psychosocial support. But the focus, [starting with] Rosa Rosal, was blood.” While PRC had already made its mark in this kind of service, eventually, it has evolved from a blood-collection agency to a fullfledged humanitarian organization
Contributor
HE Philippines is among the countries that have undergone numerous catastrophes and tragedies, whether natural or man-made.
Being seated in the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire” makes it highly vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This tropical nation, likewise, experiences at least 20 typhoons yearly on the average. It’s not even spared from the impacts of climate change in the past recent years: think Haiyan (Yolanda), billed as the strongest cyclone ever to hit land. As if the natural calamities were not enough, the country had to deal the past three years with the pandemic. While the ensuing health crisis situation has somewhat eased, it still faces the threats of Covid-19, fully recovering towards post-pandemic. Beyond all these adversities, Filipinos often find themselves at the center of several conflicts and violence here and abroad. Fortunately, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has always been there for Filipinos to turn to in times of need and emergencies. Through the years, the country’s foremost humanitarian organization has never failed to extend assistance or be of good service to every Filipino anytime, anywhere.
Humble beginnings
DOWN memory lane, a closer look at its past makes everyone appreciates more the PRC, which turns 75 today (April 15), as a bastion of heroism and compassion that
never ceases to amaze and inspire every Juan to also do good unto others. Leafing through the pages of its memoir reveals that it was Apolinario Mabini, the heart and brains of the Philippine Revolution, who paved the way for its inception when he encouraged the founders of the Malolos Republic to approve the Constitution of the National Association of the Red Cross on February 17, 1899, with Hilaria del Rosario de Aguinaldo as the appointed president. From just being a local unit of the American National Red Cross at the turn of the 19th century, forming the standalone Philippine branch of the Red Cross was initiated by President Manuel L. Quezon in 1934. Since his Commonwealth government could not sign the Geneva Conventions, it did not push through—until the country became independent from the American regime. On February 14, 1947, President Manuel A. Roxas inked the Treaty of Geneva and the Prisoners of War Convention. Over a month after, he signed Republic Act 95, mandating the creation of the PRC. This was followed by Aurora Aragon Quezon, the organization’s first chairman, receiving a cable from Geneva, which meant the recognition for the PRC, as per approval of the International Com-
in 1992, following the Mount Pinatubo eruption. During the time, its chapters in Tarlac and Zambales helped set up makeshift shelters to accommodate the displaced people overcrowding the evacuation centers. Augmenting their efforts was Gordon, mayor of Olongapo City back then, who deployed a fleet of vehicles to move the evacuees from San Marcelino in Zambales to his bailiwick. Apart from responding to this historic event, the country and the rest of the world have witnessed the PRC coming as fast as it could to the aid of those in need whenever there is any disaster like typhoons, earthquakes, armed conflicts, disease outbreaks, and even emergencies concerning Filipinos outside of the country. It has built more Continued on A2
PHILIPPINE Red Cross Chairman & CEO Richard J. Gordon BERNARD TESTA
mittee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The PRC’s charter has been amended several times since its creation. In 2010, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act 10072, otherwise known as the Philippine Red Cross Act of 2009, penned by Senator and Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) Chairman Richard J. Gordon. Officially, it changed the
name of PNRC to PRC. Since then, the organization has grown by leaps and bounds. Starting off with merely 13 chapters in 1947, the PRC is currently comprised of 102 chapters, serving millions of Filipinos nationwide.
From blood letting to lifeline
BECAUSE the Philippines was under tumultuous times during the
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 55.2700 n JAPAN 0.4170 n UK 69.2478 n HK 7.0412 n CHINA 8.0475 n SINGAPORE 41.8047 n AUSTRALIA 37.4896 n EU 61.0678 n KOREA 0.0424 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.7355 Source: BSP (April 14, 2023)