THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Regional Office XII is set to give an estimated P1M each to DSWD XII Home for Girls and Cotabato Bahay Maria Foundation, Inc. from the proceeds of the recently concluded PhilHealth Run 2015 dubbed “PhilHealth Ready, TSeKaP, Go!”

DSWD XII Home for Girls is a center for abused, neglected and exploited young girls while Cotabato Bahay Maria Foundation, Inc. is a home for the aged.

PhilHealth XII Regional Vice President Dr. Miriam Grace G. Pamonag said that “it is very exciting to note that we were able to have more or less P2.2M in cash donations and registration fees as of February 9, 2015. Around 80% will go to our beneficiaries. Only 20% were spent for activities relating to the Run.”

“The P1M will not be given in cash. We required them to have a wish list because we want to have a memorabilia of the Run. We will procure whatever is in their wish list,” said Pamonag.

Some of the items in DSWD’s wish list are sewing machines, musical instruments and sports equipment.

During the Run’s launch ceremony held last year, DSWD XII Assistant Regional Director Hadja Monera H. Lidasan explained that “the girls are capacitated to sew. They can already sew blouses, shorts, etc. We want them to have a source of livelihood.” The musical instruments and sports equipment are to “at least lessen the pain they are going through and for them to engage into sports for their physical and spiritual health.”

Lidasan added that the Center housing some 20 girls is just being rented. “We are renting the Center and the Provincial Government is paying for the rental every month. It is hot there so we hope to have air-conditioning units or at least electric fans so that when they sleep they could feel a little comfort.”

Cotabato Bahay Maria Foundation, Inc. Administrator Jovita C. Isnani, MA said “we have so many wishes but our topmost priority now is to have an isolated ward because they are elderly and most of them have weak lungs. The second priority is to have at least a multi-cab for us to be able to bring them on a field trip once or twice a month, for the aged to be able to go out of Bahay Maria to also enjoy before they expire.”

"The ceremonial turn–over of the proceeds will be next month, on the second or third week of March. We are planning to invite the President of the Corporation. The grand turn-over will come later because of the procurement process we need to follow, maybe in May or in June,” Pamonag shared.

Pamonag also thanked those who supported the running activity. “We would like to thank everyone, our sponsors and partner-agencies for their total support. It was a resounding success. We were able to register 7,167 runners and in spite of the drizzle, more than 5,000 runners participated,” saying further that “the crowd was so excited. You can see the excitement on their faces; you can see they were excited to run-for-a-cause. We hope that we can emulate, if not surpass this success during our next PhilHealth Run.” (END) (Gloria Amor L. Sequito, Public Relations Officer B)