MANILA, Philippines - To bring back the smile and happiness to hundreds of Filipino kids with facial problems, Operation Smile and local subsidiary Operation Smile Philippines partnered with Lamoiyan Corporation, makers of quality Filipino toothpaste brand Hapee, to help provide free reconstructive surgery to children and young adults with cleft problems.
Cleft palate contributes to high infant mortality rate in developing countries like the Philippines. Operation Smile estimates that 10 percent or 400 die before reaching their first birthday and 12 percent or 480 do not live past the age of five.
Dubbed “The Journey Home,†a month-long, multi-site international medical mission that was conducted in nine cities across the country in November last year, was part of the global celebration of the Operation Smile’s 30th anniversary. The first leg saw over 900 cleft patients undergoing the knife in cities such as Naga (Bicol Medical Center), Angeles (Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center), Silay (Teresita Jalandoni Memorial Provincial Hospital), and Cagayan de Oro (Northern Mindanao Medical Center). The second leg, meanwhile, attracted more than 800 patients in Manila (Sta. Ana Hospital), Cebu (Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center), Cavite (De La Salle University Medical Center in Dasmariñas), and General Santos (General Santos City District Hospital) in Mindanao.
It was indeed a timely initiative and a perfect partnership between Operation Smile Philippines and Lamoiyan Corporation, supported by a P1-million donation by Lamoiyan Corporation.
“Hapee was never involved in Operation Smile before. but I decided it’s about time that we helped them here in the Philippines,†said Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro, president and CEO of Lamoiyan Corporation.