Villar SIPAG partners with 'Operation Restore Hope Australia'
Senator Cynthia Villar (Senate PRIB)
Senator Cynthia Villar has linked up with an Australian medical mission to address the condition of cleft lip and palate, which remain common birth defects in the Philippines, affecting one in every 1,000 children. She specifically acknowledged the "Operation Restore Hope" on its 30th anniversary of bringing this life-changing medical mission to underprivileged children with these conditions. “The condition can have a significant impact on a child's ability to eat, speak, hear, and socialize normally, leading to low self-esteem and social isolation. That's why this medical mission, which provides free lip and cleft palate surgeries to underprivileged children, is so important,” she said. The surgery for the repair cleft lip and palate can significantly improve a child's quality of life and self-esteem, she emphasized. “It can restore normal function and achieve a more normal appearance with minimal scarring. By providing these surgeries for free, we are giving hope and transforming lives,” she stressed. Through her Villar SIPAG Foundation, the senator joined Ben Mead, founder of Mead Foundation, who brought the “Operation Restore Hope Australia” medical mission in her home city of Las Piñas. She also showed appreciation to the Las Piñas City Medical Center for their invaluable partnership in providing the venue and support of its medical practitioners and workers in this mission- the “Libreng Operasyon Para Sa Bingot". “Let us all strive to make a positive difference in the lives of these children,” she added.