Habitat — and health — for humanity

Dolfo had been trying to make both ends meet by working as a stevedore at Port Area in Manila. But nothing seems to be easy for him and his family of six.

For years, they tried to get by on his meager income, living like nomads in a seedy portion of the squatters’ area at Baseco compound in Tondo, Manila.

His sickly children were out of school, with hardly a peso to buy medicine. Food was hard to come by. They were lucky to have two meals a day, and hope was just a word they could barely imagine.

One day, representatives of Habitat for Humanity started gathering data about the people living in the squatters’ area, Dolfo’s family included. 

Habitat is a non-governmental, Christian-based organization that raises funds to build houses for needy families all over the country.

After some dialogue and negotiations, Dolfo and his family were accepted as beneficiaries of a housing unit with a monthly amortization as low as P20 a day, or the equivalent of half a pack of cigarettes.

The project gave Dolfo and his family a feeling of self-respect and a new lease on life.

But there are other challenges a family faces besides shelter, and one of them is the question of health.

Family breadwinners, like Dolfo, need to stay fit and in good shape in order to earn a living. Mothers have to be healthy to be able to look after their children, and the children’s welfare is always a consideration for a couple’s peace of mind.

Pascual Laboratories has found this a timely opportunity to meet the needs of Dolfo and others like him by developing a “Health for Humanity” program.

On Nov. 16, the Pascual family, together with their friends, participated in a medical mission for the families settled at Baseco Bagong Buhay Village in Tondo, Manila.

Dolfo and his family were there to witness the occasion and also to receive a free medical checkup.

Margie Moran Floirendo, the active advocate behind Habitat for Humanity, graced the occasion and presented Dolfo and his fellow home partners with the Pascual Lab program.

“You don’t have to be poor to know what the poor people feel. We (at Habitat) are here to share whatever we can in any way,” said Floirendo.

Mia Pascual, daughter of the owner of Pascual Lab presented the details of the “Kalusugan HabangBuhay,” while emphasizing the reason for their participation.

“We wanted to give the people of Baseco a viable livelihood project that will help augment their income. Aside from the medical mission, we are looking at establishing cooperative-run mini-drugstores here which will be helpful to the community,” said Pascual, who is also the director for design services and corporate communications.

Pascual said the people at Pascual Lab have always had a soft heart for the poor, because, like them, many also started from scratch.

The pharmaceutical company traces its beginnings to 1946, when Isosceles and his wife Leonora Pascual, both chemists by profession, started manufacturing herb-based, quality and affordable vitamins and drugs to treat tuberculosis in Balut, Tondo in Manila.

In 1954, the company started modernization of the plant and made way for product line expansion to include antibiotics and cardiovascular medicines. Pascual Lab grew in the ‘60s, only to be stymied by the martial law years.

“My lolo and lola were inspired by the thought that they could render service to the poor by manufacturing drugs that were pro-poor because of its affordability, but never surrendering quality in the process,” said Pascual. “This is a good opportunity for us to show our deep affection for the poor. This is just the beginning of a long-standing friendship with Habitat for Humanity,” Pascual said.

“We certainly want to live by our mission-vision and that is to help the needy elevate their lives. Today we are also offering health cooperative livelihood program where we will put up cooperative drugstores to be manned, managed and dispensed by mothers and daughters who are jobless. We teach them how, we supply the needs and then they do it,” Pascual added.

She was also quick to dole out early Christmas gifts to the Baseco residents. Cartons of medicines were distributed to both Habitat residents and indigents in an effort to show the company’s commitment to the program.

The Pascual Health Packages, which were designed for a family’s monthly consumption (average of five members per family), were available for individuals to purchase should they decide to support certain families at Habitat.

The Health Packages consists of ASCOF Lagundi tablets and syrup, Glucolyte Oral Maintenance Salts (for dehydration), Betadine skin cleanser, Betadine wound solution, Grexan (ibuprofen and paracetamol), Celermin syrup (multivitamins for children), Poten-Cee syrup (ascorbic acid), Poten-Cee tablets, and Pharex B-complex.  All this costs only P500.

“My parents have always espoused the importance of good health in living full and happy life. We at Pascual Lab are more than happy to provide medicines at affordable prices without sacrificing quality,” Pascual said.

Shortly before noon, the crowd dispersed and Dolfo stood there on the sidelines with his basket of goodies.   

His smile said it all. In Baseco, a place where he never thought he’d find peace, he was beginning  to find hope.