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PAGADIAN CITY – A joint medical mission is slated to be held come May 3 at Barangay Deborok here by the Philippine Army’s (PA)1st Infantry Tabak Division and the City Health Office (CHO).
Division Public Affairs Office (DPAO) chief Capt. Jefferson Mamauag said the medical outreach program is one of the highlights of activities lined up in support of the division’s 78th founding anniversary which will be celebrated on May 7.
Mamauag said the medical team will offer free services such as medical consultation, dental services (tooth extraction), circumcision, distribution of medicine, deworming, and Vitamin A drops for children.
Asked why the division had chosen Deborok from among the 54 barangays for this outreach program , Mamauag said “Deborok had been infiltrated with the New People’s Army (NPA) more than a decade ago.”
“We want that the people to feel the sincere presence of the government by providing them with free medical and dental services from the Philippine Army and the local government unit,” Mamauag said.
Deborok is a rural barangay and is approximately 35 kilometers away from the city proper.
The DPAO chief said the activity is a manifestation of the government’s great concern to effectively deliver the basic services to the stakeholders.
The activity is also a component of the government’s anti-insurgency campaign - the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) of Philippine Army dubbed “Bayanihan” - which seeks to win the hearts and minds of the stakeholders through prompt and effective delivery of basic social services. .
“With the sustained efforts between the military and civilians, we hope to attain internal security and peace in the country,”Mamauag stressed.
The IPSP Bayanihan was unveiled by President Benigno Aquino III during the celebration of the military’s founding anniversary in December 2010.
The campaign plan was implemented by government troops on Jan. 1, 2011.