DepEd to launch Dugong Guro

The Department of Education in Northern Mindanao (Deped-10) is aiming this year to surpass the number of blood packs it gathered through the Dugong Guro campaign last year, the biggest blood drive among public school teachers and non-teaching personnel all over the region.

Allan Farnazo, DepEd-10 regional director said, last year, the Red Cross has gathered a total of 19,202 blood bags from the teachers, surpassing its 14,000 blood bags target the previous year.

“We are positive because last year, we only counted 38,000 teaching personnel, but this year, the number increased from 38,000 to 43,666 additional teachers because of the Senior High program,” he said.

Farnazo said the 19,000 blood bags were able to save lives of soldiers fighting against terrorists in Marawi City.

Farnazo, the first regional director in the region to initiate the program, said he is confident that the program will achieve its 100 percent target, to provide safe, adequate, and readily-available blood supply here.

“We always think that heroes are those who are erected in monument,s most heroes shed blood for country, so I thought, why can’t we be heroes by giving our own blood,” he asked.

“We’re trying to position DepEd in terms of community support, this is why we initiated blood-giving,” he addeed.

City Mayor Oscar Moreno, who attended the program launching on Thursday, said the program is a milestone for the education department.

“Dili mo obligado ani, this is your own initiative, yet you are all happy to donate. We know that blood is very important in saving lives, daghan kaayo nga tao ang dili maka-avail kay tungod sa atong shortage,” he said.

Last year, the province of Bukidnon had the highest number of teacher-donors.

Dr. Myra Yee, blood center manager, said the shortage of blood supply has always been a perennial problem of the region and of the country. Citing a report of the World Health Organization, Yee said the Philippines has the lowest donation rate in the world.

Yee said to date, the shortage has gotten worse because of the Marawi siege as soldiers wounded each day drive up the need for blood.

Yee pointed out the importance of blood drives, saying that no blood drive in a day could also mean zero blood bags for the day.

“We hope that we can surpass what we achieved last year, because last year’s supply is a really great help labina if naay emergency cases, such as the Marawi conflict and all others,” she added.