MANDALUYONG CITY—In line with the National Blood Donor’s Month, the “Life ON: Life Sharing Blood Donation Campaign” kicked-off at Brgy. Vergara Covered Court, Mandaluyong City on July 30, 2022. A total of 59 people qualified to donate out of 74 participants.
This campaign is initiated by New Heaven New Earth (Shincheonji) Church in South Korea led by Chairman Lee Man-hee. The campaign is being adapted in the Philippines through the collaborative efforts of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), Blood Heroes, Rotary Club of Manila Metro, Rotary Club of QC Big Bike Riders, Luminous Eagles Club, The Fraternal Order of Eagles – Philippine Eagles (NCR3), ISKCON Makati, District Mobile Force Battalion (DMFB), Orich, Oiland Gasoline Station, Rice in a Box, Adamson University Chemical Engineering Alumni Association, DIM A Dessert Factory, MyHealth Nutra, and E2O.
Councilor Alex C. Sta Maria and Councilor Botong Gonzales Cuejilo thanked the organizers and donors. “On behalf of the City of Mandaluyong, thank you very much for your initiative, and I am encouraging my fellow Mandaleños to donate blood because this is a big help to extend the lives of our fellowmen who are in need especially in this time of pandemic. Thank you also to the donors, I’m also grateful because without you, this event will not be successful,” said Councilor Cuejilo.
The blood bags collected were donated to The Medical City (TMC), a partner hospital of Blood Heroes.
Mercy Cangco, Vice President of Blood Heroes shared their plan to continue the advocacy, “I hope this will continue, every 4 months let’s conduct a bloodletting because for every donation, 3 lives are saved already. There are so many people who need blood. If someone needs blood, it will be given for free—this is our advocacy to help whoever is in need.”
The first 30 donors received grocery packs from the sponsors containing food package, canned goods, coffee, sugar, salt, milk, multivitamins, Vitamin C and food supplement.
Rowena Rebosa Bacani, 62 years old, is a galloner who has been donating blood since her 30s, “You don’t know that you are extending the life of someone and you don’t know that you are making another family happy, then you also don’t know you’re giving glory to God in what you’re doing. And to all of you, the youth, as long as you still can, please do it.”
Actress and singer Denise Laurel also came to donate blood and encouraged others to do the same, “It only takes few moments of your time, hindi masakit, it doesn’t take away anything from you, it helps so many different people who are in need. Our hospitals are in need of blood.
For two weeks from April 18 to May 1, a group of over 18,000 people donated blood in the “Life ON” campaign, which resolved the national blood shortage in South Korea. It was recorded as the largest group blood donation in the country. The group also participated in a large-scale plasma donation in 2020 for the treatment of severe COVID-19 patients, with over 6,000 bags collected.
Committed to carry out the blood donation campaign along with various volunteerism projects, New Heaven New Earth launched its youth volunteer group named ‘We Are One’ also on July 30. It has 70,000 members in South Korea and 20,000 international members. Simultaneously, the Philippine branch also participated as donors in Mandaluyong City, being its first official project as a volunteer group.
