The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) marked this year’s National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Day with a sweeping nationwide campaign aimed at promoting lifesaving skills and building a culture of preparedness among Filipinos.

The organization launched the CPR Caravan on Thursday, July 17, at the University of the East in Manila, which aims to train one million people in basic life support.

Held under the theme “Shaping Culture: Towards a CPR-Ready Philippines,” the celebration featured simultaneous CPR demonstrations in PRC’s 102 chapters across the country, drawing over 50,000 participants.

One of the major events took place at the University of the East campus, where more than 2,000 students and personnel took part in a mass hands-on CPR training.

The highlight of the event was the formal launch of the CPR Caravan, a nationwide initiative that will run from July 18 until October 16, coinciding with World Restart a Heart Day.

The campaign is designed to equip at least one million individuals with CPR knowledge and skills, further strengthening public readiness to respond to emergencies.

PRC Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon underscored the importance of CPR in saving lives, stressing that it’s a skill every Filipino should know.

“We will continue to fulfill our commitment—if they cause trouble in Manila, we will go after them,” Gordon said, referencing the importance of readiness and action in emergencies. “You cannot save a life if you don’t know what to do. That’s why it is important to learn and practice this lifesaving skill. I even trained my grandchildren to do CPR,” he added.

He emphasized that learning CPR empowers ordinary citizens to be heroes, especially during the critical first moments of an emergency. “Our goal is to build a culture of safety by ensuring that at least one trained first aider exists in every Filipino household.”

PRC Secretary-General Dr. Gwen Pang also spoke about the organization’s strategy in promoting CPR this year.

She highlighted the need to raise awareness, develop proper skills, ensure community access to training, and build confidence to perform CPR when needed.

As part of its community outreach, the PRC is encouraging creativity and sustainability in CPR training by using low-cost tools such as jerry cans as DIY mannequins.

The CPR training sessions are being offered to the public for free, with demonstration schedules to be announced in the coming weeks.

These initiatives are aligned with Republic Act No. 10871, which mandates the inclusion of basic life support training in schools and aims to equip citizens with emergency response capabilities.

Through these efforts, the PRC continues its call for action: to build a CPR-ready Philippines, one trained citizen at a time.