Apl.de.ap gives back

Filipino-American pop star Allan Pineda Lindo also known to many as Apl.de.ap of the band Black Eyed Peas is not only an individual who has a great love for music, but also, has a great humility to help people who are in need.

Thru his apl.de.ap foundation, the member of the Grammy award winning group donated a brand new retinal diagnostic equipment to Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) last October 20 this year.

Apl de Ap personally turned over the Retcam TM Shuttle diagnostic equipment that cost around P5 million to the doctors and experts in a simple ceremony at SPMC.

Dr. Leopoldo Vega, chief administrator of Southern Philippines Medical Center, also assured everyone that they will take good care of the equipment and shoulder its maintenance cost of around P120,000 a year.

The retcam equipment is a retinal imaging system used to check premature babies for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).

It said that this disease affects most of the premature born infants, that if not be given a right attention within 48 hours it can cause blindness.

“I am here to give hope to the bulilits of Davao. This campaign is very close to my heart,” says Apl in front of the medical experts and other guests who witnessed the launching of “The Campaign for Filipino People.”

Sonia T. Delen executive committee of Apl Foundation, will oversee the campaign for The Campaign for Filipino Children.

Born legally blind, Apl admitted that it was indeed so hard for him to focus on his schooling before due to the problem on his vision.

The singer was stricken by an eye condition called nystagmus that causes his eyeballs to vibrate. The vibration combined with his nearsightedness makes the singer legally blind.

Apl added that his ambition to became a nurse or architect did not push through due to the condition of his eyes.

Because of this, the singer promised himself that someday he will fulfill a goal of helping those visually impaired.

The Campaign for Filipino Children is the first health initiative that discusses what ROP is, and to expand an awareness what is the case all about.

Dr. Pearl Camesis Villalon, chair of ROP Working Group of the Philippine College of Ophthalmology, said that ROP is the common listed cause of visual impairment within the blind children in the country.

The doctor added that here in the Philippines there are only 26 experts who can diagnose ROP and they are all located in Manila.

The initiative became possible with the collaboration of Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology, Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles and WesternUnion. com as the presenting sponsor.

Here in Mindanao, SPMC is the only recipient of the retinal cam while another four equipment can be found in Manila.

But Apl promise to give another four retinal camera to regional hospital partners to cater the needs of the children afflicted with ROP.

As he became financially stable and one of the most famous Filipinos in the world, Apl dedicates himself by giving back to his country and youth thru his foundation that focused on education, technology, helping vision-challenged babies and art-therapy. +++ Enjoy your weekend. Want to share something, feel free to email me at rhona_eps@ yahoo.com!