The country’s foremost humanitarian organization, the Philippine Red Cross, celebrates its 78th anniversary today, April 15. For over seven decades, the PRC has impressively responded to various disasters and emergencies, delivered effective and efficient lifesaving services, and transformed countless lives.

Guided by the mantra of “Volunteers + Logistics + Information Technology equals a Philippine Red Cross that is Always First, Always Ready, and Always There,” the organization has grown tremendously. From only 36 chapters in 1947, it now has 102 chapters nationwide.

The PRC’s army of volunteers has ballooned to two million, always ready to serve anytime and anywhere in the country. The Red Cross 143 Volunteer program and the Red Cross Youth continue to serve as platforms for Filipinos to participate in nation-building without being limited by age, gender, and social status.

The organization is equipped with top-quality assets—178 ambulances, 12 first aid scooters, 38 food trucks, 29 water tankers with a capacity of 5,000 to 12,000 liters, 14 fire trucks, two fire tankers, five rescue trucks, eight humvees, five 6x6 rescue trucks, two military jeeps, two amphibians, 48 rescue boats, 29 wing vans, 13 Volunteer Emergency Response Vehicles (VERV), six payloaders, and a Rapid Radio Support Vehicle (RRSV).

To ensure swift response to disasters and emergencies, the PRC’s 24/7 Operations Center was established. This state-of-the-art command center is connected to all the PRC chapters around the country. The organization fully embraces technological advancements by incorporating Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), drone cameras, satellite Wi-Fi networks, satellite phones, and generator sets into critical operations.

PRC has been at the forefront of some of the biggest challenges in the country’s history. During the fight against the fatal Covid-19 virus, PRC was number one in Covid-19 testing, successfully conducting 5,693,652 tests. When Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) came in 2013, PRC and its partners raised ₱24 billion used for its overall Yolanda operations—the biggest response of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to date.

From 2023 to 2024 alone, PRC served 322,681 families with overall assistance which amounted to ₱1.158 billion in 20 major operations including PRC’s responses to six consecutive storms (Kristine, Leon, Marce, Nika, Ofel, and Pepito), Davao de Oro landslide, massive flooding in Mindanao, and Mt. Kanlaon eruption.

PRC remains the nation’s major blood supplier. Last year, it contributed 51.73 percent to the country’s blood requirement. With 108 blood service facilities, 32 blood centers, 76 blood collecting stations, and 15 apheresis centers, PRC ensures access to adequate, safe, and quality blood supply. Aside from blood facilities, it owns several establishments to cater to the needs of indigent Filipinos including its highly developed Hemodialysis Center located at the Port Area in Manila.

Being a vessel of hope to those in dire need, PRC has fed more than 1.7 million people in evacuation centers since 2012 through the Hot Meals on Wheels program and provided a variety of free healthcare services through regular health caravans. PRC has also built 174,440 houses for individuals affected by numerous catastrophes in 48 provinces since 2006.

PRC is an independent, autonomous, and non-governmental organization that serves as an auxiliary to the government in the humanitarian field. It does not get its funds from the government. However, unbeknownst to many, it sends monetary donations and other support to foreign countries during their darkest hours. Recently, it donated $200,000 and winter tents for those affected by the 7.8 Türkiye-Syria earthquake and $100,000 for wildfire victims in the United States. PRC’s call for donations for communities hit by the 7.7 Myanmar-Thailand earthquake is ongoing. It continuously provides scholarships to underprivileged UP medical scholars, helping them reach their dreams of becoming the nation’s next-generation doctors.

To generate resources to sustain its operations, PRC launched Safe Card, which entitles its members to blood supply, ambulance service, and accident-related hospitalization coverage.

These are the many milestones reached by PRC under the strong leadership of its Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon, Secretary-General Dr. Gwendolyn Pang, and all the leaders who came before them. The success of PRC also lies in every selfless volunteer and staff who serves as the heart of the organization.

These transformational developments prove that the PRC is here to stay—metamorphosing lives, one community at a time.