Skip to main content

Philippine Red Cross: Building Lives amidst Disasters

Bloggers Conference: Chairman Richard Gordon reveals his accomplishments and goals for Philippine Red Cross

Our country the Philippines with its topographical location places our nation to the path where typhoons, flooding, earthquakes and other acts of nature are bound to happen. With over 20 typhoons plaguing our country each year with monsoon rains Philippines is prone to massive flooding that destroys houses, agricultural lands, properties and lives. 



Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has been around since 1947 officially but can be traced back to the revolutionary era. PRC is the country’s leading humanitarian organization that is committed to providing life-saving services and projects that uplift dignity of Filipinos most especially for the indigent people.

Philippine Red Cross is proactive in terms of protecting and saving lives whether there is a need for immediate first aid help at home or massive rescue effort for a flooded barangay, this organization is reliable in emergency cases when help is badly needed. 

Currently, Philippine Red Cross has 6 major public services which exemplify the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement- voluntary service, humanity, impartiality, independence, unity, universality and neutrality.
  1. Disaster Management Services 
  2. Blood Services 
  3. Safety Services 
  4. Health Services 
  5. Social Services 
  6. Red Cross Youth and Volunteer Services


Philippine Red Cross under the leadership of Chairman Richard Gordon
A member of Philippine Senate, Richard J. Gordon is a passionate proponent of PRC being the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Sen. Gordon is much known as the ‘action man’ all throughout his public service career and has beaten epic obstacles in providing quality service in our disaster prone nation. 




Richard Gordon was elected governor of Philippine Red Cross in 1986. Under his leadership he has led successful relief operations, fund raising campaigns, rescue missions and rehabilitation projects. As the PRC governor, he was the action man on various epic disastrous events such as eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, landslides in Aurora Quezon in 2004 and stampede at the Wowowee show at PhilSports Arena last 2006 just to mention a few. In 2004 Sen. Richard Gordon took charge of the overall operations of Philippine Red Cross as chairman.

With a proven track record in public service that generated funds for 50,000 families affected by 4 typhoons in the last quarter of 2004, Richard Gordon was able to collate a massive donation from all over the world through the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) amounting to $3 million. This is by far a record in Philippine humanitarian groups.
 
 

Chairman Gordon’s vision for Philippine Red Cross

Today, PRC has acquired several specialized vehicles such as rescue boats, emergency ambulances, rescue trucks, cargo trucks, amphibians, payloaders and even hummer trucks.

For PRC chairman Sen. Gordon, the goal is to provide each local chapter with its own food truck, rescue vehicle and ambulance that are readily available during calamities. With this in mind, Chairman Gordon is committed to gather funds through innovative ways. One good example of this is when makers of Safeguard soap P&G Philippines approached for an advertisement project and campaign. 







He also shared on our Bloggers Conference last October 24 at the PRC Headquarters in EDSA, instead of having a good supply of this popular anti-bacterial soap he proposed an ex-deal to the tune of 11 million pesos which went entirely to PRC funds. 


Such creative way of gathering funds for Philippine Red Cross has been instrumental in acquiring necessary equipment and vehicles to be used during disasters. 



Another milestone under the belt of Sen. Gordon is the acquisition of the MV Sustina from Alaska. This gigantic ship has a massive space that can carry trucks and personnel across various islands around the Philippine archipelago. MV Sustina is a former $80-M US Navy prototype and was initially offered at $2-million but through Gordon’s perseverance PRC has already acquired the unit at a lower cost of only $1.75 million. MV Sustina was also eyed by the Philippine Navy but did not push through with its acquisition.

Sen. Gordon already confirmed that PRC has posted a down payment for MV Sustina and the earliest delivery date is by February 2016.

Another interesting fund raising project for Philippine Red Cross is the upcoming Million Volunteer Run wherein everyone is invited to join. This event aims to generate more funds to be utilized in purchasing more rescue vehicles and food trucks in line with Chairman Gordon’s goal of providing each local chapter with necessary lifesaving equipment as part of disaster preparedness plan.




The MILLION VOLUNTEER RUN will happen this December 13, 2015 all over the country from 6 to 10 AM. It also aims to promote humanitarian and heroic virtues among Filipinos regardless of age, creed or ethnicity.  
 
 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Transforming Lives: The Impact of SM Group's KSK Program on Filipino Farmers

  Farming futures Jayson and Juanito proudly showcase a selection of produce at the SM City Clark’s Weekend Market. While modern agricultural techniques boost yields for some, there remains a number of Filipino farmers who struggle to keep pace. These experienced hands find themselves falling behind in a market demanding higher production, clinging to familiar yet often inefficient methods passed down through generations. One farmer from Pampanga, Jayson Garcia, sought to disrupt this prevailing narrative in his family. He knew that he had to chart a new course forward for his farm and innovate to remain competitive within the rapidly evolving landscape of modern agriculture. “Noon, mahirap ang magtanim,” he recalled their life before joining SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan. “Para bang tsambahan, basta pag itinanim mo ‘yan, hintayin mo na lang mamunga. Mas mahirap pa lalo kapag nagkaroon ng kalamidad,” he added.  SM Foundation’s training program focused on high-value cr...
Post a Comment
Read more

A 15-Minute Tropical City in Pasay

  All within 15 minutes: Urban planning concept city to rise in Pasay For the modern urban dweller, 15 minutes is a lot of time.  A lot of productive things can be done – a high-intensity, interval training (HITT) workout or run a 1.5-kilometer route, clearing your emails, meditating, catching up on the news, or preparing a quick smoothie – all within 15 minutes.  But for the Metro Manila commuter, 15 minutes is barely enough to get from point A to point B. During rush hour, it is most likely that within this time, you still haven’t moved an inch.   Ever heard of the 15-minute city? It’s a modern urban planning concept that puts people and the planet first. The term was coined by Paris-based urbanist and Sorbonne University professor Carlos Moreno wherein he said that the ideal neighborhood or city is built in such a way where work, food, housing, education and cultural activities can be easily accessed within 15 minutes, whether by foot or by using a bike.  An ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Venue Infrastructure Challenges Concert Experience in the Philippines

Countries with better, bigger, and more competitive concert venues have reaped economic benefits, especially with the massive and significant influence of popular international acts like pop superstar Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Coldplay’s World Tour in consumer behavior and spending.  Driving tens of thousands of ‘Swifties’ and concert enthusiasts, the success of these concerts was an economic stimulus for countries worldwide, including Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and Japan.  Filipino fans alike had to spend big and travel miles to watch the exclusive performance of superstar Swift in Singapore’s National Stadium while others went to Japan’s Tokyo Dome and Sydney’s Accor Stadium in Australia. The massive concert gigs boosted the respective country’s economies, benefitting entertainment, hospitality, retail, and transport industries significantly. While Singapore’s strategy for a Southeast Asia exclusive Swift performance piqued interest and likewise piqued it...
Post a Comment
Read more