143 means love from Red Cross

Of course, you know what 143 stands for – I love you because there is one letter in I, four in love and three in you. It’s not a coincidence that the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has a 143 program anchored on volunteers with a love to do good in serving as the first responders and line of defense in their communities particularly in times of emergency and calamity. The PRC is clearly all about love.

Although officially recognized as a bona fide member of the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in 1947, the PRC dates back to 1899 when the Malolos Republic approved the Constitution of the National Association of the Red Cross on the prodding of Apolinario Mabini, the sublime paralytic. For decades, the PRC was known only as a vehicle to donate and secure blood. But today, it has widened its scope of humanitarian activities beyond blood services and disaster relief.

The PRC now provides six major services – blood services, disaster management, safety services, community health and nursing, social services and the volunteer service. The services crystallize the values of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. 

PRC Governor and former Public Works undersecretary Mabini (EQ) Pablo said “the organization, unwavering and steadfast in its commitment to save lives, is simultaneously transforming itself by entering into strategic alliances with partners, adopting and harnessing the latest technologies and teaming up with people who have catapulted volunteerism to new heights.”

The spirit of volunteerism is particularly alive in the Red Cross 143 program where in every barangay throughout the country, there is a core group of one team leader and 43 members ready to be mobilized in responding to the needs of people crying out for help. Pablo said the PRC provides life-saving skills training for each team.

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To dramatize the spirit of volunteerism, the PRC recently gathered 1.13 million people from all walks of life in simultaneous runs across 156 venues nationwide in its second Million Volunteer Run (MVR 2). “The whole point of the MVR 2 was to draw attention to the humanitarian programs of the PRC and recruit volunteers for the Red Cross 143 program,” said Pablo. Without a doubt, the objective was accomplished as about 460,000 negotiated the Roxas Boulevard route, 385,000 the Commonwealth Avenue distance and 285,000 in other parts of the country.

The runners got together for the fun event “to be always first, always ready, always there.” Pablo said it was also a test run for mobilization of humanitarian action, showcasing the PRC’s synergistic partnerships with private companies and government institutions that share the same values of love of country and humanity.

“At the core of this remarkable wave of volunteers is the youth, driven by their ideals, mobilized by their energy and linked up with one another through their effortless use of all the latest technology,” said Pablo. “They have infused new life into the organization, making it more responsive, more agile and more innovative than ever.”

Heeding the PRC’s call for unity, young athletes reached out to the public and encouraged runners and non-runners alike to show their support for humanity. Talk ‘N’ Text’s PBA players, for instance, sent their appeal directly to their thousands of fans through web-based invitations. Professional runners and clubs such as the Subic International Marathon, Extribe Inc. and the Runners Confederation of the Philippines played a big role in defining and managing the complex technical and operational requirements of MVR 2. Even in Quirino province, participants in a regional athletic meet made sure they were counted in the MVR 2 list-up.

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“That young athletes were present to support the run is heartening but not surprising,” said Pablo. “After all, there are many things that are shared by the heart of the athlete and the heart of the volunteer. Both are driven by passion, both are driven by values like teamwork, commitment to their craft and commitment to others. And both are driven by an unstoppable drive to use all of their faculties – physical, mental, spiritual – to purse causes that go beyond themselves. The PRC is very heartened by the public interest in MVR 2 and hopes that this translates into public support for all their programs.”

Pablo served as Co-Chair of MVR 2 and observed that the huge turnout for the simultaneous runs was fueled by the enthusiasm of the youth. No doubt, the PRC’s transformation into a quick-response, mass-based and volunteer-driven organization is a positive sign of the times and its productive use of sports as a vehicle to promote its core values is a formula that’s guaranteed to take the mission to the next level. Pablo’s UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity brother, ABAP secretary-general and Talk ‘N’ Text alternate PBA governor Patrick Gregorio, said no less than PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan applauds the transformation. The PRC couldn’t be more relevant in expressing love for those in need.