The Betan Tito de Santos Medical and Dental
Mission,
Feeding Program and Operation Big
Brother (Toy and Clothing Giving)
By: Brod Kevin James D. Kuan (’13-A Vendetta)
1st Vice-Grand Princep/Project Head
The Betan Tito de Santos
Medical and Dental Mission is an annual activity conducted by the Fraternity.
This year, the UP Mindanao Brods have come up with a different idea for
celebrating this year’s activity. Unlike the usual venue in the campus
infirmary, this time, in line also with the celebration of the 20th Founding
Anniversary of the University of the Philippines Mindanao Campus, we decided to
conduct it at Sitio Ladi-an, Marilog which happens to be a land reservation of
the campus.
The venue has been set for
the reason that the residents who are living there are having a hard time
attending to their medical needs because they are far away from those who are
providing such services. Also, transportation is hard to come by and needless to
say, finances are really tight exclusively for their daily needs such as food
and etc.
As a continuing drive of our
passion to serve, we did extend our services this time not only by means of
providing free medical check-ups and free dental check-ups, but also, we
conducted a feeding program prioritizing the children and also we conducted our
toy and clothing drive under one event.
Roughly, we served about
450-700 patients both in medical and dental services. The activity is also well
represented with volunteers from the Department of Health (RXI) headed by Brod
Abdullah Dumama Jr. (Director IV | BSF- NDU Chapter Batch ‘77B), City Health
Office, Davao Medical School Foundation, Isaac T. Robillo Memorial Hospital, the
UP Administration headed by Sir Joel Sagadal and Represented by Chancellor
Sylvia Concepcion later on, and of course our Fraternal Brothers from DMSF-AA
Chapter. Afterwards, the medicines that we’re not consumed by the residents of
Sitio Ladi-an was automatically transferred to the UP Mindanao Infirmary (which
happens to be also a donation of the Fraternity).
The Lugaw was provided as
well by the City Government of Davao and regarding the source of the clothes and
some toys contained in the balikbayan box, Brod Frank Mamaril’s sister, Mrs.
Grace Farinas and him shipped those items for their annual "Gift Giving" which
was co-sponsored with Brod Bing Garcia and his family. This past December 2014,
they held it at Koronadal. Since there were a lot of toys and clothes left, they
immediately turned it over to the residents and made it a package event.
The Fraternity therefore
assesses that the activity was more than a success and has yet been the biggest
event the UP Mindanao Chapter has ever rendered in its existence in the
University. Know that we will still continue extending these services for
medical needs are hard to come-by nowadays especially for those people who badly
need it but are less fortunate to think of it as a necessity and a priority for
them to look upon for themselves.
(Documentation Video of the
event can be viewed at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc0JuuDgg70)
