PRECIOUS BLOOD. A nurse extracts blood from a soldier of the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion during a blood-letting program in Barangay Masiag, Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat on Friday (June 14, 2019). The event coincided with the observance of World Blood Donor Day. (Photo courtesy of 33rd IB)
ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat -- Soldiers belonging to the Alpha Company of the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion (33IB) stationed in a mountain town of Sultan Kudarat province have shared blood in observance of World Blood Donor Day on Friday.
The blood donation, which has for its theme “By Donating Blood, You Can Save Lives”, was held at the gymnasium of Barangay Masiag, Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat.
Lt. Col. Boongaling, 33IB commander, said the soldiers volunteered to help the Philippine Red Cross bolster its stocks of blood.
Boongaling said blood donation is beneficial to both donor and recipient. “The donor will have cleansed blood circulation while the donee or beneficiary would have the chance to live longer, brought about by the blood as a medium for the ‘precious gift of life’,” he explained.
Apart from the soldiers, in attendance were members of the Tacurong City Health Unit, the local government of Bagumbayan, and the village women’s organization.
A symposium on how to prevent the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that leads to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was also held to help educate the residents of Masiag, mostly members of the Indigenous Peoples community.
The worldwide observance of blood donor day aims to raise awareness that individuals can save lives and improve the health of others by donating. (PNA)
