13,000 units of blood collected during Tarlac event

ABOUT 13,000 units of blood were given to the Philippine Red Cross ( PRC) – Tarlac Chapter during a recent bloodletting activity, which coincided with the signing of an agreement between the humanitarian movement and its partners in Tarlac and neighboring provinces.

“I deeply appreciate the 13,000 units of blood given to PRC by Tarlac from 17 municipalities,” PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said during the signing of a memorandum of agreement, which coincided with the Tarlac Province Blood Donors Recognition Ceremony. “Thank you for making PRC one of the strongest Red Cross societies in the world.”

Hosted by the Tarlac Provincial Blood Council, which is chaired by Governor Susan Yap, and in partnership with PRC Tarlac and the province’s Department of Health, the event gave recognition to the consistent partners and regular blood donors as well as the Hall of Famers (three-time winners).

PRC Tarlac Chapter also leads in the blood donation drive with its “Indigency Fund,” a brainchild of its administrator, Luciano Paras, Jr. The concept takes the form of cards—which works like a prepaid phone card—for blood needs.

The fund now has a budget of P6 million from the initial P3 million when it was launched in 2011, with referral cards increasing to 5,000

Chairman Gordon and Governor Yap holding a trophy to mark a bloodletting activity, as Ato Chua (behind, middle), representative of the Tarlac Filipino- Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Inc. and Joji David (right), 2nd District provincial board member, look on. from 2,000 for the same period.

PRC accounts for 51 percent of the nation’s blood supply requirements for safe, quality blood.