LCP Myla Tarriela
I believe that every personal advocacy’s formation can be traced from childhood like when I was still a student when I wanted to help the sick by taking a medical course. I have always love medical work or anything related to it. In this COVID pandemic days, our attention is geared to look into the basic health needs of our frontlines who are serving our community. The whole world suffered tremendous deaths from the outbreak of the disease and with the loss of numerous medical personnel, we thought of protecting them by the donations of personal protective equipment, face masks, face shields, medicines and vitamins to protect them.
It has been an annual project of the Rotary Club of Lubang Island (RCLI) to do medical missions in our area of jurisdiction, the Looc and Lubang Island of Mindoro Occidental. It is a place where there is an absence of quality hospitals and clinics. Competitive medical professionals for consultation are only a few and the communities are mostly financially incapacitated to get the best treatment. Our visit to Looc and Lubang Island includes the distribution of school supplies, face masks, face shields, alcohol, medicines and rice to 700 families. We also gave transport wheelchairs to the elders. Our club expanded our service and delivered vitamin supplies to the indigenous tribe of Mangyan students in Tamisan Elementary School in partnership with the Rotary Club of San Jose led by LCP Ruby Alferos.
The need in Mindoro Occidental has caught the attention of the Physicians for Peace CEO who happens to be our Past District Governor Lyne Abanilla from the Rotary Club of Intramuros during the last Transformational Year. The height of lockdown hindered the delivery of 26 prosthetic legs to Mamburao, Sablayan and San Jose and it was only last October where we had the chance to bring them to the indigents who have been waiting. Coordinated by SDG Len Hao on behalf of the Physicians for Peace to our club with Immediate Past District Governor Odie Tarriela and through the assistance of SDG Babes Calledo, DAD Marie Rose Delos Reyes, Life Changing Presidents and six Mindoro clubs members, we were able to install the 26 prosthetic legs and checked and measured on 15 more new patients. We also distributed vitamins, alcohol, face shields and face masks.
The Rotary Club of Lubang Island formally turned over the Testing and Immunization Mobile Van to the San Jose District Hospital. This approved Global Grant application will help the community in swab testing and in the immunization of communities from faraway places. Our club’s project can definitely curb the spread of diseases that will protect the community.
Closing the month with our focus project, RCLI was able to deliver successfully the webinar entitled ‘Protect, Save and Change Lives … Every Second Matters’ with guest speaker Honorable Senator Richard Gordon. The shared information enlightened viewers that the Philippine Red Cross is not just about the blood nor limited to blood donations. Red Cross responds to greater needs with vitality and with equally big projects like what we have in Rotary. A possible partnership with the Philippine Red Cross is what the Rotary