Operation Smile starts at VSMMC

CEBU, Philippines – Children with cleft lip and cleft palette deficiencies underwent free surgery, as the Operation Smile of the Mariquita Salimbangon- Yeung Charitable Foundation Inc. kicked off with 30 patients yesterday morning at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Cebu fourth district Representative Benjur Salimbangon, whose sister Mariquita is the foundation’s founding chairman, said they are expecting up to 300 patients this year, considering that the program will run for the next four days. 

“Mas daghan gyud karon compared sauna and expect mi nga mudaghan pa kay kutob Friday pa man mi ngari,” he said.

Local and foreign doctors have volunteered for the program while non-medical volunteers helped entertain the child beneficiaries.

Children with cleft lip deficiency must be one year old and above to undergo the operation while those with cleft palette deficiency should be at least three years old be able to undergo the corrective procedure.

Aside from surgery, the foundation would also provide free check-up and follow-up aid after the operation.

One of last year’s beneficiaries, Irene Marie Nirvasa from Asturias, is also among this year’s patients to have her lower palette done. She is two and a half years old.

Nirvasa’s mother, Milagros, said they are very thankful for the program because they could not afford to pay for a surgery for her daughter.

“Malipayon gyud kaayo mi kay ug wala ni, dili jud mi makapa-opera,” Milagros said. The program is open to patients from all over the province. Salimbangon said they even welcome patients from outside Cebu, as there are beneficiaries from the neighboring island of Bohol and even as far as Zamboanga and Surigao in Mindanao.

The Operation Smile is one of the foundation’s biggest projects on top of its medical missions. Researches are ongoing to determine the cause of the cleft deformities. — AJ de la Torre and Christopher Gabriel Bonjoc/JMO (THE FREEMAN)