Quezon City Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre led close to 500 people who participated in the Quezon City-leg of the nationwide blood typing/blood donation campaign held Sunday at the Quezon City Experience Museum.
The project dubbed “Type ng Bayan” was organized by the Du30 Cabinet Spouses Foundation and is aimed at coming up with a national blood registry by documenting the blood types of all Filipinos.
Of the total 481 participants, 144 donated blood while 337 got their blood samples tested for blood typing.
The collected blood samples were taken to laboratories of government hospitals for further testing. The results will be sent back to the Quezon City Health Department.
According to Quezon City health officer Verdades Linga, Quezon City is the second local government unit in Metro Manila to host the ‘Type ng Bayan.’
Bautista lauded the campaign as it underscored the importance of knowing one’s blood type.
“It’s very important that we have this kind of blood typing activity. I found it amusing because we were showing each other our [blood type] IDs. Every office should have a record of its employees’ blood types so in case of emergency and a need for a blood donor, it’s easier to pinpoint that person. Blood is life,” the mayor said.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial agrees with the mayor’s idea.
“It’s important to know our blood type. As Mayor Bautista said, if we could have that blood list not only in offices but in our barangays as well, so it’s easier to find our ‘type.’ Are you my type?” she said teasingly.
Ubial said the vision of the Duterte administration is for the Philippines to attain blood supply adequacy by the end of 2017.
“Globally, the goal is 100-percent voluntary nonnumerated blood donor and blood donation by 2020. That’s for the whole world. But for the Philippines, in the Philippine Health Agenda, that will be the legacy of Duterte administration—blood adequacy by the end of 2017. For the first time in Philippine history, we will attain a total population of one-million blood donors,” the health secretary said.