WALKING FREE HEROES OF PFPP
By: Beng Manalang
Princess Athena Sejera, 5 years old, a cerebral palsy patient with epilepsy is an only child of a single mother. They had been waiting for a wheelchair and were in the queue at the Bicol Medical Center. Thankfully, finally, last April of this year, she got her wheelchair courtesy of the Walking Free program of the Physicians for Peace Phils. (PFPP) together with the sponsorship of the Latterday Saints, the Rotary Club of Naga, and The Rotary Club of Metro.
Just like Princess, thousands all over the country has benefitted from the Walking Free Healthcare Missions. The Walking Free Team of PFPP has conducted a great number of prosthesis medical missions in the remotest parts of the Philippines for the past 25 years.
Spearheaded by the President Dr Josephine ‘Penny’ Bundoc and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Lyne Abanilla, the PFPP WF Mobility Team has installed seven (7) Mobility Centers in the Philippines, the latest of which was the BICOL MOBILITY CENTER (BMC) on April 6, 2024.
The Donors. The BMC was donated by Gov. Everette Olivan and Lady Maryselle Olivan, President of Rotary Club (RC) of Naga Tommy Enrile and Rotarian Dennis Caramoan, also from RC Naga of D3820 and it’s members, who provided leadership, support and assistance throughout the construction and finish of the facility.
The Bicol Mobility Center. The Donors worked together to meet the needs of the PWD Bicolanos so they need not go to Manila anymore to be given these aids. The BMC aims to maximize the collaboration of the RC with PFPP and is dedicated towards the upliftment of the disabled Filipinos’ quality of life through service-motivated, training-oriented, and research-directed provision of appropriate and accessible devices that are locally fabricated yet globally accepted. That day, twenty (20) beneficiaries received wheelchairs, fitted to each one of them, from the Donors of the WF Program.
The Volunteers. The WF Team boasts of 6 Volunteer Orthotists and Prosthetists.
From left to right: Beverly Go, Marlon Peregrin, Jerry Alba, COO Lyne Abanilla, President Dr Penny Bundoc, Marilyn Casero. Sitting: Erwin Corpus, Board of Trustee Beng Manalang
The Volunteer Members in Focus
Jerry P. Alba (left) has been serving with PFPP for 5 years and 8 months, as of writing. He hails from Paranaque, works at UP-PGH in the Department of Orthopedics and volunteers on times required.
From Meycauayan, Bulacan, Erwin S. Corpus (right), a prosthetic technician, has been with PFPP for 5 years and 7 months.
Both Marlon P. Peregrin (left), who works with the Mahabir Foundation, and Jose Romero (right), have been serving with WF-PFPP for 3 years now.
Mr. Jose Romero is a prosthetic technician and has been with PFPP for 3 years and 11 months.
Head Prosthetist and Orthotist of Physicians for Peace Philippines P.O.W.E.R Mobile Van/Clinic from 2020 to present. Participates in Medical Missions all around the Philippines, provisions of Wheelchairs, assistive devices (canes, walkers, crutches, etc.), Prostheses, and Orthoses.
The newer member of the Team, a lady volunteer Ms. Beverly Go (left), who calls Taytay her home, has been with the Team for about a year.
Marilyn P. Casero, for one, is a wheelchair assessor and also coordinates the scheduling of missions and handles the survey of data for the patients. She is a proud employee of the UP-PGH, and is a medical technologist by profession.
Interviewed why they join the PFPP WF volunteer program, they all answered individually “ it is to help others (disabled people) ”.
Marilyn adds “ Napapasaya namin ang mga beneficiaries. Nabibigyan naming ng saya ang mga pasyente at magulang. Kapag nabigyan na sila ng wheelchair, nagiging productive din ang mga magulang ng mga pasyente kasi naiiwan na nila ang mga anak nila sa iba. “ (translated). We are able to make the beneficiaries happy. We are able to make the patient and parents happy. When we give them a wheelchair, even the parents of the patient become productive because they can now leave their children under the care of others.”
Many of them work with hospitals and volunteer their time and energy on specific dates of the mission when they are required.
The Volunteer Work
Prior to the Mission, the survey is conducted among the beneficiaries and they are assessed and measured. The parents and guardians of the disabled child bring the patient ( the PWD child) to the Mobility Center. The Walking Free (WF) volunteers checks the records. Dr Penny or the Assessor, assisted by the WF prosthesist or volunteer fits the assessed stroller or wheelchair to the patient, according to earlier assessment.
The Leader of the Walking Free Team. Dr Josephine Bundoc’s lifework is focused on enabling the disabled, one beneficiary at a time. She believes that “..people, not by their own choice, can improve capabilities of people with lesser abilities, if society provides them equal opportunities.”
As a Rehabilitation Medicine specialist and national awardee, “she recognized the huge void in training, service and research on assistive technology (prosthetics, orthotics, wheelchairs, etc) for people with disabilities (PWD), where only 15% are actually able to gain access for reasons of poor data, cost, topography, lack of training, imported raw materials and absence of a mechanism for sustainability.” (https://physiciansforpeace.ph/congratulations-dr-josephine-robredo-bundoc-excellence-award/)
Cognizant of the fact that disabled children can go to school and disabled adults can be gainfully employed once they have accessible, affordable, appropriate assistive technology, Dr. Bundoc pioneered Rehabilitation Medicine Training programs, Health & Assistive Technology policies, Community implementation, Government-based financing and local manufacturing & sourcing of raw materials in partnerships with civic societies and most importantly, the persons with disabilities themselves.
Her advocacies increased national awareness & sensitivity towards the disabled. Most importantly, it did not only enable PWDs towards functionality & productivity, it also empowered them as program decision-makers & implementors in the field of disability.
Hope for the Disabled
Justin, 14 years old, who is an epilyptic patient who loves music, came to the Center that day holding a carton paper which he uses for paper-tearing during his playtime. Aided by both his parents, he studies with SPED for free. He came with his parents that day and was particularly overjoyed when he received a wheelchair that April.
The future holds a little more hope because of Walking Free Heroes in the person of Dr Penny, COO Lyne and all the volunteers in the WF Team.
You can be one of our heroes too. Join Physicians for Peace in our many opportunities to be a hero. Be a Hero today.
Connect with Physicians for Peace Philippines.
Email: physiciansforpeacephl@gmail.com
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Landline: (02) 82415009