A senior citizen availed of free optical services during the medical mission in Brgy. Binaliw, Cebu City on Friday. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – More than 400 individuals from the mountain barangay of Binaliw in Cebu City received free medical, dental and optical services on Friday, September 20.
The medical mission was part of the “Healthy and Resilient Communities” program of Prime Infrastructure Foundation Inc. (PIFI), the corporate social arm of Prime Infra that operates the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) there through its waste management unit, Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS).
“This medical mission exceeded those conducted here by other groups in the past. The turnout today was greater than we expected,” Binaliw Barangay Health Worker (BHW) Niña Rıza Igot said in the dialect.
READ: Rehab of Binaliw waste facility ongoing – PWS Cebu
During a recent visit at the MRF, acting Cebu City Raymond Alvin Garcia told PWS Cebu officials to also collaborate with the nearby communities and to closely engage with them by implementing “impactful” Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects.
Medical mission
On Friday, individuals who lived near the MRF that is being operated by PWS Cebu received free medical, dental and optical services from medical practitioners and volunteers coming from the Southwestern University PHINMA, who joined the medical mission. They were also provided with free meals while they wait in line.
READ: Garcia to Binaliw landfill operators: Show me solutions in a week
Moreover, the free services were also extended to residents of the farthest sitios in Binaliw – Mansawa, Sta. Ana, and Agpasan.
PWS provided a shuttle service that brought them to and from the venue of the medical mission in Binaliw proper.
| Contributed photo
In addition, assistance were also given to residents of Brgy. Panoypoy in Consolacion town, which is located at the boundary of Cebu City and Consolacion.
READ: PWS promises full cooperation in addressing Binaliw landfill woes
“The medical mission is one of the many programs that we implement to support healthy communities here in Cebu. Combined with our education and environmental programs, health and wellness allow us to fulfill our purpose to make better lives and resilient economies through critical infrastructure,” said PIFI Executive Director Dave Jesus Devilles.
PIFI also distributed medical kits to the different sitios in Brgy. Binaliw and the PNP sub-station in the area. Surplus medicines from the medical mission were also donated to the PNP Health Services Unit.
Adopt-a-School
On Thursday, PIFI through its Adopt-a-School Activity Program, also made a donation of educational materials, armchairs, and equipment worth P300, 000 to the principal, school head, and child development workers of Brgy. Binaliw.
“These are not just gifts, but powerful investments. I am confident that we can create a learning environment for growth and success through this partnership,” said Dr. Lyra I. Ilaga, head of the Schools Governance Operating Division (SGOD) of the Cebu City Schools Division.
Binaliw Barangay Captain Viviane Ruste said that she was grateful for the conduct of the medical mission that benefited her constitutions.
She said that activity was just one of the many benefits that they now enjoy from the operations of PWS Cebu in their barangay.
Binaliw has a population of at least 3, 000 residents based on the 2020 population census.