Pinamungajan upland folks receive humanitarian services

A mining company operating in the hinterlands of Pinamungajan brought a smorgasbord of humanitarian services to Barangay Duangan, serving close to 700 delighted residents.

It had been the second time since Solid Earth Development Corp. (SEDC) resumed the conduct of medical missions that the pandemic and recent Renewal project of a client interrupted for four years.

After Magsico last year, they sent a mission to Duangan Elementary School recently and gave free consultation and medicines, plus dental and optical services, random blood sugar, and haircut services.

The mission attended to 244 male and 451 female patients, 169 of them children, plus more than half of the 88 who had their hair cut, and some 54 senior citizens with some among 126 who availed of the optical services.

About 40 percent among the patents had the need for vitamins, while 21 percent were cases of cough and colds, noted Lou Cauba, SEDC deputy community relations officer.

The rest were mostly body pains, skin allergies, hypertension, fever, back pains and dizziness, she added.

‘Heart and mind’

"Malipayon kaayo mi maglantaw sa mga hayag nga panagway sa mga lumulupyo nga nakadawat sa inyong tabang labi na sa kahupayan sa ilang mga pangutana nga ang mga hanas lang sa maong propesyon ang makatubag,” remarked Duangan head teacher Cirselda G. Gerolaga.

“Ang serbisyo nga inyong gihatag kanamong tanan diri mag-ukit na sa among mga dughan ug huna huna. Daghan kaayo nga salamat,” she added.

She noted that the medical mission meant a lot to the locals as they hardly consult doctors and acquire medicines. Other than with sheer poverty, the hinterlands are far from the town centers.

Top executives were in full force for the Duangan mission led by SEDC senior technical adviser Fumikazu Murakami, chairman Loreli L. Po and president Maria Deeza I. Guzman.

From their client, Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc., CEO Takashi Miyashita and SVPs Takuya Nose, Taro Sumi and Mitsufusa Sato lent hands during the mission meant to provide access to health services, health facilities and health professionals.

Duangon barangay captain Carlos B. Ponting Jr. gathered the patients with his fellow barangay officials and health workers who served as the triage.

Volunteer employees assisted the patients and the volunteer physicians, like Drs. Normacita Infantado, Armindo N. Ceniza, Jr., Fe Lynn Tampon, Easter Lette Estella and Jake Seno.

Meanwhile, Drs. Pearl Angeli Sabido-Cabauatan and Arabella Sahilan took care of the dental patients

First in 2013

The Duangan mission is the fifth medical mission SEDC sent to Pinamuganjan, serving already 3,349 townsfolk. It first served 642 patients also in Duangan with Lut-od in early 2013.

The second attended to 856 residents from Duangan, Guimbawian, Lut-od, Ponod, and Sibago in April 2016, then 732 patients in Anislag, Busay and Guimbawian by April 2017, and 424 in Sibago in April 2019.

SEDC has since 2005 been sending medical missions, rotating among 13 stakeholder barangays in San Fernando and some villages in Pinamungajan, serving to date already a total of 30,931 patients.