PCSO’s ‘Charity Caravan’ now in Cagayan de Oro City

Top officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) today flew in from Manila and barnstormed Cagayan de Oro in an effort to “spread the charity virus” in Northern Mindanao through the agency’s Charity Caravan 2009.

The PCSO’s Charity Caravan, which kicked off in Batanes last March 12, seeks to spread the charity virus throughout the country through motorcade, mini-concerts and medical and dental missions in 20 selected cities and municipalities.

The Caravan also aims to hasten the recruitment effort of Kaibigan ng PCSO, a new program that intends to mobilize thousands of volunteers for its historic National Medical Mission this September.

For the Cagayan de Oro leg, more than 50 doctors and health professionals from PCSO, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, Philippine National Red Cross and Northern Mindanao are mobilized to provide free medical and dental treatment to poor residents at the Barangay Macasandig Covered Court on May 29.

During the medical mission, the PCSO provided booths for the Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP) to entertain requests for financial assistance from Cagayan de Oro residents who cannot afford to send their sick relatives to the hospital.

At least 200 residents of Cagayan de Oro also pledged also joined the growing number of Filipino volunteers who have pledged to donate their time and services to charity work through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

The new volunteers pledged their commitment to charity work in a simple ceremony today at the Maxandrea Hotel, where the Kaibigan ng PCSO was launched as part of the agency’s Charity Caravan 2009 activities in Cagayan de Oro.

Kaibigan ng PCSO intends to recruit and mobilize thousands of volunteers for the various activities of the charity agency, particularly its historic National Medical Mission this September.

The National Medical Mission aims to provide simultaneous medical and dental mission in the country’s 42,000 barangays on September 6 as part of the PCSO’s 75th Anniversary Celebration.

Aside from doing volunteer work in medical missions, members of Kaibigan ng PCSO will be given trainings in First Aid, Basic Life Support, Child and Maternal Care and Disaster Management.

All card-carrying volunteers of the Kaibigan ng PCSO are given the opportunity to be awarded with the PCSO Health Card, which puts them on the priority list of those seeking financial and medical assistance from the charity agency.

The Charity Caravan would also hold a motorcade on May 29 around the city to Barangay Macasandig Covered Court where the medical and dental mission would be held.

Since the kick-off activities in Batanes, the PCSO’s Charity Caravan has already reached the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Davao City, Cebu City, Palawan, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Bohol, Quezon and Batangas.

From Cagayan de Oro, the Charity Caravan would also visit the provinces of Butuan, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Camarines Norte, Nueva Ecija, Antique, Leyte and Samar to provide free medical and dental services as well as entertainment to local residents. (PCSO Press Release)

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