Recognizing their importance in the country’s fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on Wednesday, Aug. 18, lauded the blood donors and volunteers.
“As the pandemic rages on, the medical frontliners and other essential service providers are often tagged as our modern-day heroes, and rightfully so as they often work long hours and accept the increased risk of infection,” PRC said.
“But there are also other modern-day heroes to whom we need to give attention and recognition. These are the blood donors and volunteers!” it added.
PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Richard Gordon said that the humanitarian organization is in a “deep debt of gratitude” to all the blood donors and volunteers.
“All blood donors are heroes. They give the most precious thing, and that is to extend the lives of their countrymen,” Gordon said.
He noted that from January to July 2021, there were 91,372 people who benefited from blood donations. “That's more than 90,000 lives saved by our blood donors,” Gordon said.
First seven months of 2021, PRC said that it was able to collect 215,128 units of blood from 178,232 blood donors.
“To the more than 178,000 blood donors, you are all heroes, and the entire country should know this,” Gordon said - noting that those who donated blood amidst the pandemic are heroes in their own right.
Meanwhile, Gordon pointed out that PRC volunteers --- who are not getting regular salaries --- are just as “fitting” to be called heroes.
These volunteers, he added, are the core of the country's humanitarian organization --- working tirelessly for PRC's emergency medical services, the emergency response unit, volunteer services, the Red Cross Youth, molecular laboratories, vaccination centers, and other service delivery programs for which the PRC is known.
“The spirit of volunteerism lives in the heart of the Filipinos,” Gordon said. “Our volunteers here at PRC do not get paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless,” he added.
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