Mu Sigma Phi brods with AFP Medical Center Commander Brig. Gen. Ariel Zerrudo (far left), AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Alexander Yano (center), and Dr. Penny Bundoc (far left)
Mu Sigma Phi together with Brig. Gen. Natalio Ecarma III, Deputy Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps and Brig. Gen. Ariel Zerrudo
Mu Sigma Phi 2013 represent!!!
In a sea of green-uniformed military officers and blue-clad soldier patients, Mu Sigma Phi brods and Mu Batch 2013 stood tall and proud in their white medical attire as aMUnation’s AFP MUbility symbolically handed over 20 wheelchair units to the Armed Forces last March 7, 2009, during a Handover of Donations Ceremony conducted in the AFP Medical Center Auditorium.
aMUnation is the week-long array of charitable activities from March 7 to 13, spearheaded by the neophyte Batch 2013. Beneficiaries of the University-wide events - which includes blood and book drives, basketball and video-game tournaments, and a raffle - are AFP servicemen, Philippine General Hospital patients, and Payatas grade school and high school students. The flagship project under aMUnation is AFP MUbility, an extension of the long-standing MUbility endeavor of Mu Sigma Phi that aims to provide free wheelchairs for personnel in the military, particularly those wounded in battle and those who have developed conditions meriting mobility assistance because of their valiant service to the nation.
The Handover of Donations Ceremony was a fitting launch for aMUnation and was well-attended by top-ranking officers of the Armed Forces: Gen. Alexander Yano, AFP Chief of Staff; Rear Admiral Ramon Punzalan, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (J1); Maj. Gen. Carlos Holganza, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (J3); Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Sealana, Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations (J7); Brig. Gen. Natalio Ecarma III, Deputy Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps; and Brig. Gen. Ariel Zerrudo, AFP Medical Center Commander. Also in attendance were the husband and wife tandem of Dr. Rafael and Josephine Bundoc, who played instrumental roles in the provision of wheelchairs.
In his welcoming remarks, Gen. Zerrudo lauded the the Fraternity for pioneering socially relevant activities as he recounted its long and multi-awarded history. He challenged the undergraduate brods to carry on in the spirit of service and assist in the military as health personnel. He also challenged the hospital staff to remain steadfast in caring for the soldiers, citing the efforts of the Fraternity as inspiration and proof of the concerned public.
Dr. Josephine Bundoc delivered a speech describing the close ties of doctors and NGOs with the military. She related her experience of soldiers giving doctors piggyback rides through rough terrain in their outreach missions for remote locations such as Zamboanga. She said that she had always wondered how best to repay the soldiers for their dedication and hard work and noted that the aMUnation AFP MUbility would be but a small token of appreciation for their help. She also said that this project would hopefully open the door for more opportunities to restore wounded servicemen to full functionality and reintegrate them into the community through wheelchairs, braces, and prostheses.
Dr. Rafael Bundoc also took to the podium, elaborating on the history that Gen. Zerrudo had accounted: the Fraternity, in fact, already had collaborations with the military even from its humble beginnings. Many of the founding members went on to serve as military doctors and the aMUnation AFP MUbility would only bring full circle the relationship of trust and cooperation between the Fraternity and the Armed Forces. Dr. Bundoc expressed his aspirations that such partnership grow in the coming years as more wheelchairs are donated and as the project expands to aid all the more those soldiers whose health and well-being have been sacrificed because of their noble vocation.
Gen. Yano conveyed his heartfelt gratitude for the wheelchair donations and reiterated how this simple gesture, even apart from the cost and material benefit, helped motivate and inspire the soldiers to press on in their profession whose unique capital is that of human life.
After the brief ceremony, the officers, guests, and Mu Sigma Phi brods retreated to a function room for snacks and refreshments, thus providing ample opportunity for socialization and discussions of future joint ventures. The contingent then proceeded to tour the hospital and the nearby Prosthetics and Brace Shop, where they were introduced to Sgt. Artemio Ibana Jr., a skilled prosthetics craftsman who had served extensively for 3 years in Cambodia. Dr. Bundoc expressed delight over the equipment and technical expertise already present in the facility and was optimistic for the future of aMUnation AFP MUbility.
|
Mu Sigma Phi representatives award Mark Joshua Pobadora, the grade school aMUnation scholarship grant recepient.
Mu Sigma Phi representatives together with Gerald Irigan, the high school aMUnation scholarship grant recepient.
Payatas kids beam with their newly acquired children's books from the aMUnation book drive.
One fascinating trait that is innate to the Filipino is the ability to effortlessly put on a smile despite all the cruel actualities of life – the Filipino is thus a bastion of hope, a gem of resilience.
When you come visit the expansive community abreast the mountainous Payatas dumpsite, the first thing that welcomes you is the sight of children with huge smiles painted on their faces, a stark but refreshing contrast to the dire surroundings. One after the other they come near you, acknowledging your presence by greeting you the sweetest way they know how. One after the other they come near you, each one wanting nothing more than your approval when they ask you to play with them, sit with them, eat with them.
The dust collecting on bookshelves, the odours that waft to wrinkle your nose, and the garbage strewn left and right do not constitute a pleasant place to live in. The experience of being amidst smiles and laughter so honest and pure, however, is enough to touch the heart and simply shrug such troubles off. Your time and talent shared with these young ones are never wasted, if only to see the familiar whites that spell thank you a million times over. But it is these smiles and laughter that tell a little more about the challenges these kids face every day, if you would only look a bit closer and listen a tad harder.
They cry of the longstanding struggle and pain brought about by the neglect of even the most basic of rights, such as nutrition, protection, and education. It isn’t so much the neglect that is perturbing, but the absence of attention and sympathy from the society that envelopes them, who mostly prefer to be onlookers and passers-by, if not ignorant strangers. Blame the system all you want but the bottom line remains that this social crisis is as real as it gets and it is here to stay - unless we step away from the high road and make the move to dirty our hands, outstretched to help, serve, and uplift.
The Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity is aware of such circumstances and continues to uphold the glorious tradition of transcending the boundaries and limitations of the health sector to come up with significant solutions and improve living conditions of the marginalized.
For aMUnation, Mu Sigma Phi 2013 handed out Scholarship Grants to grade school and high school students in the blighted community of Payatas, Quezon City. Mu Sigma Phi acknowledges the crisis in education plaguing our nation and chooses to stand up and act to end the vicious cycle of helplessness and poverty.
The famous author Scott Adams once said,
Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.
We in the Mu Sigma Phi emphatically agree and we do hope that you join us as staunch and whole-hearted allies in this advocacy to make the smiles and laughter gleam brighter this 2009.
|
As aMUnation celebrations winded down to a fitting close last Friday, March 13, 2009, the 20 PESO LAPTOP Raffle made one more heart a little happier as winds of fate blew an Asus eee PC 701 into the hands of our winner, Maui Villanueva, LU III student of the UP College of Medicine. Drawing the winning ticket was guest Chesca Quinio and looking on was Mu Sigma Phi's Most Illustrious Brother, Danilo Alpapara. Also present to hand out the prize and congratulate the winner were aMUnation Overall Head, Andro Licaros, and Charity Raffle Project Head, Daniel Dellosa.
ASUS! MIB Danilo Alpapara, Raffle Winner Maui Villanueva, aMUnation Overall Head Andro Licaros, and Charity Raffle Project Head Daniel Dellosa pose with the Asus eee PC 701.
Chesca Quinio from UPCM class 2013 was official civilian representative who facilitated the raffle draw.
|
Whether irony or fate, aMUnation blood donations beat all expectations and numbered a day past the average life span of a red blood cell.
In a rousing display of charity and goodwill,
121 brave donors stepped up to the challenge of aMUnation to save lives and help offset the 6000-unit yearly deficit of the PGH Blood Bank. The storm of generosity flooded the BSLR Lobby last March 11, 2009 and the CAS Little Theater last March 12, as the units of blood shot well-beyond the 30-unit quota. Also overflowing were free Jollibee Yum Burgers, Powerade refreshments, and Men’s Health and Top Gear magazines, as donors went home with a loss of a pint of blood and some 650 calories, but with a massive gain of aMUnation freebies and the abounding thanks of the PGH patients who will benefit immensely from their simple act of kindness.
aMUnation congratulates and thanks the league of donors for taking the proactive step to make a difference in the lives of others and uplift the condition of our Blood Bank. From the bottom of our hearts and our patients’, thank you!
|
.jpg)
