Blood flows at Army HQ

Blood finally flowed at the headquarters of the Philippine Army (PA) at Fort Bonifacio in Makati City yesterday. But the more than 300 unarmed soldiers who spilled it were willing victims.

No, it wasn’t the latest mutiny or some kind of military adventurism, but a yearly blood drive organized by Army leadership to allow troops to donate their plasma to those in need, especially elderly veterans and their own colleagues.

Maj. Bartolome Bacarro, Army spokesman, said the bloodletting activity was in line with preparations for the Philippine Army 109th anniversary celebrations set for next week.

In exchange for a lone "balut" — to restore protein and strength after donating — these red-blooded soldiers allowed civilian and military medical personnel from the Veterans’ Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) and the Army Hospital to draw up to 500 cubic centimeters (cc) of hemoglobin from their veins.

Before qualifying as a donor, each soldier was initially screened in order to make sure he or she was 100 percent healthy.

"Our soldier-donors passed all the necessary physical and medical tests. Even those who are taking antibiotics were automatically disqualified," noted Bacarro.

He said the total of over 125 liters of blood drawn from soldiers yesterday will be immediately made available to elderly veterans and their next of kin who are in need of blood transfusions.

Bacarro noted that, much of the time, soldiers are the major source of donated blood for patients who need it.

Aside from veterans, wounded soldiers needing transfusions can also receive blood from the VMMC’s well-stocked supply.

"This is our way of returning the favor we’ve got from our mentors who are now back in civilian status and their families," Bacarro said.

He added that with the generous amount of collected blood, families of soldiers wounded in combat or requiring blood transfusions now have a steady and reliable source.